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Suffragettes in Haverfordwest
On February 13, 1907, the Haverfordwest local paper reported that a meeting of the Women'sSocial and Political Union had taken place in London.The aims of the union were to extend the Parliamentary franchise and make it equal for men and women, regardless ofmarital status.
The following year, in 1908,the suffragette movement decided to campaignin Haverfordwest.
Mrs Massy and Miss Elsie Gye were the first to arrive, staying at the Mariners' Hotel.They wanted to publicise their campaign and gainlocal support.
News of the arrival spread like wild fire and there was great excitement.
On the evening of July 1st, a large crowd gathered in Castle Square to hear Miss Gye speak.
She introduced herself by saying she was one of the most militant members of the suffrage movement and was proud of having been to Holloway for her beliefs.
Aweek later, Emmeline Pankhurst, the most famous of the suffragettes, arrived. On the Saturday afternoon she made an eloquent speech from the balcony of the Mariners' Hotel.
When asked if she was in favour of votes for married women she replied that she wanted the vote for women on the same conditions that men had it. If Asquith's government pledged it's support for women's suffrage on the same terms as men had it,she would cease her campaign.
The demands of the suffragettes were moderate, merely asking for equalityregarding voting rights.Well received in Haverfordwest, these women were mocked by many and fought a bitter fight against enormous prejudice from men and their own sex.
Thank you for your message, Ceri. My daughter had coffee yesterday with her friend who, with her husband, runs the Mariners.
It was a coaching inn at one time, and is still very popular. (My twin grandsons had their Christening lunch there twenty years ago.)
Your connections to the mariners are amazing. I know of people with the surname Gwyther, but it is not one I have often come across.
I hope your father is enjoying his new life. Haverfordwest is small and the countryside and coast are wonderful, but there are no bright lights here!
I did not pursue the book. I had previously written one about Fishguard and while i was working on Haverfordwest, various other books about it were published. I do know some unusual stories, though.
WhenI was a child, in one of my primary schools, if you kep quiet you could more or less organise your own time. For me, this meant trips to the book cupboard, where I delved through the history books. I particularly enjoyed drawings of serfs and peasants slaving over hot spits. They did not seem to have much of a neck, and all were drawn in this fashion.I developed a passion for history then, supplemented by 'Womn's Illustrated ' magazine, which serialised 'Sara
Dane' a story of a woman convict transported for a trivial offence to Australia. There was a romance worked into it, so I was engrossed.
Hwyl for now. Thank you for posting and if you want any other information I might be able to supply it. Gillian
I hope you have made your book!
hello Gillian, I don't know if you will ever read this message but I had to send you it. My Great Grandmother was the daughter of the owner of the Mariners at the time the suffragettes visited. His name was Steven Gwyther. The Mariners was called Gwythers before it was renamed. My father, Peter Biebrach has recently moved back to HWest and done a fair bit of family history research, very interesting. I didn't realise we had such a connection with WestWales!
About twenty five years ago, I collected postcards ofVictorian Haverfordwest. This led me to researching various stories about the town. I had thought of publishing the cards and the stories as a book but they have languished in a drawer until now.I haveenjoyed reminding myself of Haverfordwest's history.