Annie Kenney Worksheets
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Fact File
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Table of Contents
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Summary
- Early Life
- Personal Life
- Entry into the Suffrage Movement
- Militant Activism
- Later Life and Death
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about Annie Kenney!
Annie Kenney was a prominent figure in the suffrage movement. In 1905, she became an active member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a militant organisation that fought for women's right to vote. Kenney actively participated in protests and other actions that challenged the established political order leading to her multiple arrests.
Annie Kenney
Early Life of Annie Kenney
- Annie Kenney was born on 13 September 1879 in Springhead, Yorkshire, to a working-class family. She was the fourth of twelve children born to Horatio Nelson Kenney and Anne Wood.
- Even though her family was not wealthy, her parents encouraged education. As a result, three of her sisters pursued careers as teachers and her brother achieved significant success as the first editor of the influential socialist newspaper, the Daily Herald, in 1912.
- At just ten years old, Kenney began working part-time in a local cotton mill while continuing her education. At thirteen, she became a full-time employee, as a weaver’s assistant where she had a 12-hour shift from six in the morning. Her work was physically demanding and dangerous, and she lost one of her fingers in a workplace accident.
- Despite the challenges, Kenney remained in the mill for 15 years. During this time, she actively participated in trade union activities. She pursued self-study and actively encouraged her colleagues to engage with literature and intellectual pursuits, inspired by the socialist publication, The Clarion, by Robert Blatchford. She was also a regular churchgoer and an active member of the local choir.
- In January 1905, her mother passed away. She and her siblings remained in the care of their father at 71 Redgrave Street, Oldham.
Personal Life of Annie Kenney
- Kenney formed strong bonds with many women in the suffragette movement, most notably with Christabel Pankhurst. They shared a deep connection, even vacationing together on the island of Sark. While some believe their relationship was romantic, others emphasise its platonic nature.
- Kenney also developed a close friendship with the Blathwayt family, who were frequent guests at their estate, Eagle House. They supported her and her sisters by giving them presents and paying for their medical bills.
Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst
- However, Mary Blathwayt’s diary entries detail Kenney’s intimate relationships with other women during her stays at Eagle House, suggesting that Mary may have been jealous of Kenney’s romantic involvements.
- Following the passage of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which granted voting rights to some women, Kenney married James Taylor. They settled in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, and had a son, Warwick Kenney-Taylor in 1921.
Entry into the Suffrage Movement
- After her mother died in 1905, Kenney realised how hard life was for women. This led her to join the suffrage movement that fought for women's right to vote.
- In the same year, Kenney attended a socialist meeting at the Oldham socialist Clarion Vocal Club where she heard speeches from Teresa Billington-Greig and Christabel Pankhurst, two important leaders in the fight for women's rights. She was later invited to meet Christabel’s mother, Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). Kenney’s encounters with these suffragettes made her even more determined to help the cause.
- She then became more involved in the WSPU, a militant organisation that fought for women's right to vote. She and her sister, Jessie, actively distributed WSPU leaflets to women working in the mills of Oldham to educate them about their rights. She became a vocal advocate, addressing large crowds on issues of labour rights and women's suffrage.
- Soon enough Kenney quickly rose through the ranks of the WSPU. She was involved in establishing the first London branch of the WSPU in Canning Town with Minnie Baldock in 1906. She also actively participated in various campaigns, including the 1911 census boycott in Bristol. In 1912, she was appointed the WSPU deputy.
- In 1913, Kenney and Flora Drummond organised a meeting between leading politicians and working-class women from the WSPU. These women talked about their poor working conditions and how the lack of voting rights left them politically unrepresented. They argued that the right to vote would empower women to challenge the existing system and improve their circumstances.
- When World War I began in 1914, the WSPU called an end to the suffragette militancy and encouraged women to take on jobs traditionally held by men. Kenney actively supported this and in the fall of 1915, she joined leading suffragettes on a tour of different parts of Britain, France, and the United States to encourage women to join the war effort.
Militant Activism
- After her mother died in 1905, Kenney realised how hard life was for women. This led her to join the suffrage movement that fought for women's right to vote.
- Kenney's first major act of defiance was during a Liberal rally in October 1905 at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester. She and Christabel disrupted the political meeting, shouting “Will the Liberal government give votes to women?” and unfurling a banner that demanded women's right to vote. This act of defiance got them arrested for obstruction. They became the first women to be arrested for this type of political protest in support of women's suffrage.
- Christabel was arrested for a minor offence after a brief altercation with a police officer. Kenney was also arrested and spent three days in jail. In total, she was imprisoned 13 times for her involvement in the suffrage movement.
Poster against the 'Cat and Mouse' Act
- One notable incident occurred in March 1906 when she climbed onto Prime Minister Campbell-Bannerman's car during a suffragette march to Downing Street. Later that year, in June 1906, Kenney, along with Adelaide Knight and Mrs. Sbarborough, was arrested while attempting to gain an audience with Chancellor of the Exchequer H.H. Asquith. When offered the choice of imprisonment or abandoning her campaign, Kenney chose to serve time in prison.
- While imprisoned, Kenney went on hunger strikes to protest her unfair treatment. The government cruelly responded by force-feeding her. This inhumane treatment brought international attention to the suffering of women fighting for their rights.
- The government tried to stop these hunger strikes through the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act 1913, nicknamed by the suffragettes as the Cat and Mouse Act, which allowed for the temporary release of ill prisoners, only to be re-arrested later when they are well enough. Despite this, Kenney refused to give in, showing her dedication to the cause. She was later awarded a Hunger Strike Medal 'for Valour' by the WSPU.
Later Life and Death of Annie Kenney
- After women over 30 gained the right to vote in 1918, Kenney focused more on her personal life. While she stepped back from active campaigning, she remained connected to the fight for women's rights.
- In 1921, she started writing a series of articles for a popular Scottish newspaper called The Sunday Post. These articles shared her experiences as a suffragette, including her early life working in a factory, how she joined the suffrage movement, and the many challenges she faced, such as arrests and hunger strikes. In 1924, she published her memoir, Memories of a Militant, sharing her experiences as a suffragette.
- Kenney passed away on 9 July 1953 at the age of 73 after a stroke. Her ashes were scattered on Saddleworth Moor.
- A plaque was placed at the mill where Kenney worked, and a statue was erected in her honour in Oldham. Her name is also included on a statue of Millicent Fawcett in London, honouring her important role in the fight for women's rights.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Annie Kenney
- Who was Annie Kenney?
Annie Kenney was a British suffragette and a key member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), known for her activism in the fight for women's right to vote.
- What was Annie Kenney famous for?
She was one of the first suffragettes to be imprisoned for protesting women's suffrage. Her confrontation with Winston Churchill and other politicians helped bring attention to the movement.
- What role did she play in the suffrage movement?
Kenney played a major role as an organiser and speaker for the WSPU, working alongside leaders like Emmeline Pankhurst to advocate for voting rights.