A Suffragette is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as a woman seeking the right to vote through an organized protest. A prominent British suffragette, Emily Davison, was born in South East London in 1872. She was a high achiever who received a scholarship to study literature at Royal Holloway College after graduating high school. However, this was cut short when her father died, and her mother could not pay the tuition. Emily worked as a teacher until she had saved enough money to complete her studies at London University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
At the time, males dominated academia, and Emily formed strong beliefs about the restricted options for women in society. Emily was drawn to Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s Social and Political Unit (WSPU), quickly becoming a radical member. The WSPU, a more militant branch of the original National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), believed that by denying women the vote, the state was treating them as second-class citizens.
What Happened to Emily Davison at the Epsom Derby – Thousands of people, including King George V and Queen Mary, attended the running of the Epsom Derby and Anmer, the King’s horse, competed in the Derby that year. Emily had set her sights on Anmer. The Epsom racetrack is designed like a horseshoe, with a straight at the start leading to a long bend that straightens out at Tattenham Corner before concluding straight in front of the Royal Box. The King’s horse, Anmer, stood out among the other horses because the rider, Herbert Jones, was dressed in the King’s colors.
Anmer was third from last when the horses thundered around Tattenham Corner. Emily had pushed her way through the masses and slid under the guardrail. As Anmer turned the last curve, he couldn’t help but collide with Emily, standing in front of him, holding the Suffragette flag close to her. Jones was flung from his saddle, and the horse collapsed, only to climb back up and complete the race himself. Jones was injured with fractured ribs, bruises, and a concussion. Emily was transported to the hospital but sadly passed away four days later from catastrophic internal injuries.
Emily Davison and the “Cause”
Emily, who was very outspoken in her support of Suffragette colleagues, quickly rose to the position of the chief steward, quitting her job to devote more time and effort to “the Cause.” Emily was a suffragette discovered lurking in air ducts inside the House of Commons, ostensibly only listening in on Parliament (she did this three times). However, she was militant in some of her actions, tossing metal balls labelled “bomb” through windows and being imprisoned six or seven times in four years for these actions!
In 1909, she was imprisoned twice for two months each time, first for trying to enter a room where the Chancellor of the Exchequer was making a speech and once for throwing rocks through the windows. Her jail visits were cut short when she embarked on a hunger strike.
It didn’t take long until she was back in prison. This time, though, it was for tossing pebbles at the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s chauffeur-driven vehicle, each neatly wrapped in Emily’s hallmark phrase, ‘Rebellion against tyrants is devotion to God.’
Emily went on another hunger strike while at Strangeways Prison, but the authorities chose force-feeding over early release this time. Emily then locked the door to her cell, but her jail guard planned to fill her cell with ice-cold water to force her out. Emily almost drowned. The public was outraged by the jail wardens’ inhumane treatment, and Emily, who brought the issue to court, was given forty pence in compensation.
Emily Davison– A Loyal Suffragette
Emily demonstrated her willingness to die for the Cause she had given her life as a suffragette advocating for women’s votes. In 1912, she was sentenced to 10 months in prison for setting fire to London post boxes. During this period, she embarked on another hunger strike. Emily hurled herself from a balcony in protest when the jail resumed force-feeding. In an interview after she was released from jail, she responded to this question “I did it purposefully and with all my might because I believed that nothing except the sacrifice of human life would awaken the country to the horrific torment that our women undergo. If I had succeeded, I am confident that forceful feeding would never have been used again “.
The authorities were perplexed by this deed. They realized that ladies were prepared to become martyrs for the Cause’s sake. This resulted in the Inmates’ Temporary Discharge for Health Act, which stated that prisoners might be freed if they threatened a hunger strike but would be detained again once they recovered their strength. Emily felt that if she died in jail, the authorities would try to cover it up as an accident. She, therefore, felt that if she were to become a martyr, she would have to do it in public, and she would have to be entirely in control of the situation.
Emily Davison – A Suffragette who paid the Ultimate Price
After her passing after the Royal Ascot incident, it is still unknown if Emily genuinely planned to pay the ultimate price that day in the interest of the suffragette cause. A return train ticket and an invitation to a suffragette meeting that night were discovered in her purse, indicating that the act was not premeditated.
It has been reported that Emily was “persuaded” that a selfless deed would boost the prominence of the suffragette movement. This, however, was not the case. The public saw her acts as those of a “mentally sick zealot,” and some former supporters of the suffragette movement were so outraged by the episode that they no longer wanted to be linked with “The Cause.” The media focused on the horse’s and jockey’s well-being rather than Emily’s tragic death.
Thousands of people lined the streets of London for her burial. Her remains were transported to King’s Cross Station before being returned to her Northumberland family for burial. Emily was buried at Morpeth, a little distance from her mother’s house in Longhorsley, on June 15. Emily Davison was a loyal and outspoken suffragette who paid the ultimate price for the Cause she believed was worth her life.