How to find out if an ancestor was involved in the women's suffrage movement?
For many of us, if we discovered there had been a suffragette in the family, it would be a source of great pride. But how do you trace her if you have little more than a rumour passed down from one generation to the next? The family of Alice Hawkins are luckier than most. They have one of the best collections of suffrage memorabilia in Britain. Alice was a shoe machinist from Leicester who was arrested five times for her campaigning. The family have helped research her life. But what if you don’t have such a detailed record of your ancestor? Nicola Swords visited the Women’s Library to find out how you might trace a radical relative, and spoke to Alice’s descendents including Joanne and Pat.
"Alice Hawkins: And the Suffragette Movement in Edwardian Leicester" by Dr Richard Whitmore is published by Breedon Books £14.99 ISBN 9781859835548
