Violet Aitken (21 January 1886 – November 1987) was a British

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

. She was born Marion Violet Aitken and raised in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, and she was the daughter of William Aitken, who became Canon of

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedral ...

. She had a sister, Rose, who took up

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

. She became a

and editor of ''The Suffragette'' and was imprisoned and

force-fed Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a human or animal against their will. The term ''gavage'' (, , ) refers to supplying a substance by means of a small plastic feeding tube passed through the nose ( nasogastric) or mouth (orogastric) into t ...

. Latterly, she lived in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, where she died in 1987, aged 101. Force-feeding (suffragettes)

Political activism

Aitken became active in the women's suffrage movement in the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...

(WSPU) of the Pankhursts. In November 1911, she held the bridle of a police horse during a WSPU protest, and was arrested and sent to

Holloway prison HM Prison Holloway was a closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, until its closure in 2016. Hist ...

. In March 1912, she and

Clara Giveen Clara Elizabeth Giveen, also known as Betty Giveen, later Mrs Betty Brewster (1887–1967) was a British suffragette. She was known for an arson attack on the grandstand at the Hurst Park Racecourse in 1913, and for her "Prisoners (Temporary Dis ...

were arrested for damaging £100 of windows at Jay's clothing shop in London's

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

. In June 1912, she was released from

Winson Green Winson Green is a loosely defined inner-city area in the west of the city of Birmingham, England. It is part of the ward of Soho. It is the location of HM Prison Birmingham (known locally as Winson Green Prison or "the Green") and of City Hospi ...

, having been transferred due to prison overcrowding, but near the end of a four-month prison sentence, during which she was force-fed after going on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

. Aitken was awarded a

Hunger Strike Medal The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to suffragette prisoners by the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). During their imprisonment, they went on hunger strike while serving th ...

'for valour' by WSPU. Her father and mother were pained by her involvement in violent protests, as he wrote in his diary, although he later recognised women's calls for being allowed to vote were 'after all only an act of justice'.

Journalism

Aitken had considered leaving her editorial job at ''The Suffragette'' and pursuing a literary career, but rescinded that decision after the funeral of

Emily Davison Emily Wilding Davison (11 October 1872 – 8 June 1913) was an English suffragette who fought for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, votes for women in Britain in the early twentieth century. A member of the Women's Social and Polit ...

, who had died after throwing herself onto the racetrack.

Records and images

Images of Violet Aitken are held in the

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall, London, Gui ...

. Her autograph was within a collection auctioned in 2012. Her prison record is now in the National Archives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Violet 1886 births 1987 deaths English suffragettes People from Norfolk British centenarians Women centenarians Women's Social and Political Union 20th-century British journalists

Political activism

Journalism

Records and images

Further reading

References