The Purple Plaques (Placiau Porffor) scheme in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, UK aims to install plaques on buildings to increase recognition of the lives of women who have had a significant and long-lasting impact associated with Wales. The scheme was initiated by several members of the

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...

, led by

Julie Morgan Julie Morgan (née Edwards; 2 November 1944) is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North seat in the Senedd since the 2011 election. She was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff Nort ...

, Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North. The purple colour was chosen because of its association with the women's suffrage movement. The scheme was initially organised in partnership with the gender equality charity Chwarae Teg and subsequently became an independent charity. It was launched on 8 March 2017 (

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

) with the aim of installing the first plaque on the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

building to commemorate

Val Feld Valerie Anne Feld (''née'' Valerie Breen Turner; 29 October 1947 – 17 July 2001), was a Welsh Labour Party politician. Background Born in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, she was educated at the Abbey School in Malvern and in 1969 married John Fe ...

. The plaques are glazed purple ceramic with white lettering. Subsequently, one to three plaques have been installed each year. Criteria for a plaque include that the person must be a deceased woman with strong links to Wales, and that she must have made a remarkable contribution in Wales or beyond. The extent of her impact on women, including as a role model, will also be considered, as well as whether she has already been commemorated. In addition to those who are already well known but may not yet be commemorated publicly, the scheme especially aims to recognise women who have previously not been recognised. Practical considerations such as a need for planning permission will also be considered. Val Feld plaque

Plaques installed

Purple plaques have been installed to mark the following: *

, installed on Senedd building 2018. One of the architects of devolution for Wales; Director and founder of

Shelter Cymru Shelter Cymru describes itself as Wales's people and homes charity. Its vision is that a Right to housing, decent, secure home is a fundamental right and essential to the health and well-being of communities. Information background Shelter Cymru p ...

; activist for social and gender equality. *

Ursula Masson Ursula Masson (1945–2008), born Ursula O'Connor, was a Welsh academic and writer who worked closely with Jane Aaron and Honno Press/Gwasg Honno, the Welsh Women's Press, on the imprint Welsh Women's Classics – to bring back into print the w ...

, installed on

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

Central Library 2019. Academic specialising in women’s history and feminism; founded Centre for Gender Studies in Wales at

University of South Wales The University of South Wales ( cy, Prifysgol De Cymru) is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wal ...

. *

Megan Lloyd George Lady Megan Arvon Lloyd George, (22 April 1902 – 14 May 1966) was a Welsh politician and the first female Member of Parliament (MP) for a Welsh constituency. She also served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, before later becoming a Labo ...

, installed on her family's home in

Criccieth Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...

2019. First woman MP for a Welsh constituency. * Angela Kwok, installed on her family's take-away in Pontcanna 2020. Champion of isolated Chinese people in south Wales. * Eunice Stallard, installed on the Miners Welfare Hall,

Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (, ) is a town on the River Tawe in southwest Powys, Wales. It is the second-largest town in Powys and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes ...

2020. Peace campaigner and political activist. *

Martha Gellhorn Martha Ellis Gellhorn (8 November 1908 – 15 February 1998) was an American novelist, travel writer, and journalist who is considered one of the great war correspondents of the 20th century. Gellhorn reported on virtually every major worl ...

, installed on her retirement cottage in

Devauden Devauden ( cy, Y Dyfawden) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is located between Chepstow and Monmouth near the top of the Trellech ridge on the B4293 road. The community covers an area of . The community includes th ...

2021. American war correspondent, novelist, travel writer, and journalist. * Charlotte Price White, installed on her family home in Bangor 2021. Suffragist and politician. * Dinah Williams, installed on a cow byre at her home in

Borth Borth ( cy, Y Borth) is a village and seaside resort in Ceredigion, Mid Wales, 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberystwyth on the Ceredigion Coast Path. The community includes the settlement of Ynyslas. The population was 1,399 in 2011. From be ...

, Ceredigion, 2021. Pioneering woman organic farmer and entrepreneur. *

Eirene White, Baroness White Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White (née Jones; 7 November 1909 – 23 December 1999) was a British Labour politician and journalist. Early life White was born in Belfast, the daughter of Dr Thomas Jones, commonly known as "TJ", a noted civi ...

on Flint Town Hall in June 2022. She was one of the first three women to represent Wales in the UK Parliament, and indeed Wales's only female MP for ten years.

References

Cultural history of the United Kingdom Cultural history of Wales Historical markers Types of monuments and memorials {{culture-stub