Emily Wilding Davison (1872 - 1913)

Born 11 Oct 1872 in Greenwich, London, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 8 Jun 1913 at age 40 in Epsom Cottage Hospital, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

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Emily Davison was a part of the Suffragette Movement.

Emily Davison is Notable.

Emily Wilding Davison, the daughter of Charles Edward Davison and his second wife, Margaret (Caisley) Davison, was born on October 11, 1872 at Greenwich in London, England, United Kingdom.^[1] She was baptised on December 9, 1872 at St Alphege, Greenwich, England, United Kingdom.

After attending Kensington Prep School, Emily Davison took classes at Royal Holloway College^[2] and at Oxford University, but she couldn't officially earn a degree from either institution because women were excluded and prohibited from doing so at the time.

In 1895 she began teaching at the Church of England College for Girls at Edgbaston. The following year she found employment at Seabury School, Worthing (1896–8). Eventually she raised enough money to return to university education. After graduating from University of London she obtained a post teaching the children of a family in Berkshire.^[3]

Emily joined the Women's Social and Political Union in 1906. She gradually became more and more involved in WSPU activities and in June 1908, was one of the chief stewards at a WSPU demonstration in London. The following year Emily gave up full-time teaching so that she could devote more of her time to the WSPU. Emily also became involved with the Workers' Educational Association.^[3]

Emily became a natural follower of the Suffragettes. She took part in attacks on property. She became a leading member of the Suffragettes and was imprisoned and force-fed. On one occasion she barricaded herself in a prison cell to escape force-feeding. Her cell was flooded with ice cold water which drenched her while workmen broke down the cell door. Such treatment only made her even more determined.^[3]

On another occasion while in prison, she threw herself off of a prison upper gallery floor.^[3] She was badly injured but realised that a Suffragette dying in prison would look bad for the authorities - who were to respond to this real threat by the introduction of the Cat and Mouse Act.^[4]

Emily's ticket to the Epsom Derby Races 4 Jun 1913

It is unclear what exactly Davison had in mind on June 4, 1913. She attended the Epsom Derby with the intent of advancing the cause of women's suffrage, bringing with her two suffragette flags. After the race began, Davison ducked under the railing and strode onto the track. She put her hands up in front of her as Anmer, a horse belonging to King George V, made its way toward her. King George V and Queen Mary were watching this spectacle unfold from their royal box.

The horse crashed into Davison and struck her in the head. The jockey riding Anmer was also injured, but the horse was unhurt. Davison was taken from the track and brought to a nearby hospital. Never regaining consciousness, she died four days later on June 8, 1913 at Epsom Cottage Hospital.^[5]

A public funeral was held in London on 14 June 1913. Emily Davison's body was taken from Epsom and escorted, by a large and spectacular procession, from Victoria to St.George's Church, Bloomsbury, where a memorial service was held, and afterwards to King's Cross where the body was entrained for Northumberland for burial at the parish church of St Mary's, Morpeth, on 15 June.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales, Birth Registration Index, 1837-1920", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2XHF-7XP : accessed 02 May 2014), Emily Wilding Davison, 1872.
2. ↑ London University: Royal Holloway. College Archives and Special Collections. Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, register of students, RHC AR/200/1, p. 14
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Vera Di Campli San Vito, ‘Davison, Emily Wilding (1872–1913)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37346, accessed 2 May 2014)
4. ↑ Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act 1913. 1913 Cat and Mouse Act. Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/PU/1/1913/3&4G5c4.
5. ↑ "Emily Wilding Davison," The Biography.com website, http://www.biography.com/people/emily-davison-9268327 (accessed May 02 2014).

See also:

• Wikipedia: Emily Davison
• Wikidata: Item Q254858, en:Wikipedia
• Police report on the incident at Epsom Page 1 Page 2
• Epsom Derby 1913 Death of Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison at Epsom Derby, 1913. You Tube.
• The Truth Behind the Death of Emily Davison An interesting article from the Guardian newspaper.
• Find A Grave memorial for Emily Wilding Davison
• Archival film footage of her stepping in front of the horses: "The Death of Emily Davison - Objectivity #172." Objectivity (channel). 26 June 2018. Youtube. 12 July 2018.