Event    From 2/7/1888  To 16/7/1888

Matchgirls' strike

A strike of the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant and May Factory. Annie Besant had published an article about the poor working conditions at the factory, 'White Slavery in London'. This angered the management who tried to get the workers to formally refute the article. When they refused the management sacked one of them and the strike was on. They held meetings at Christ Church Hall and were supported by Eleanor Marx, Annie Besant and members of the Fabian Society including Shaw and Sidney Webb.

Diamond Geezer has a much fuller account.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Matchgirls' strike

Commemorated ati

Annie Besant - E3

This plaque was lost sometime July 2021 - August 2022. 

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Bowler plaque - Match Girls

The plaque punningly represents "match girls" - very nice. Hanbury Hall is wh...

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Fairfield Works

This plaque was lost sometime July 2021 - August 2022.

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Hanbury Hall - blue oval plaque

This plaque has a shortened version of the text on the old white plaque.

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Hanbury Hall - white plaque - removed

Christ Church Hall Built in 1719 as a French Hugeonot {sic} church it stood b...

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Other Subjects

Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy

Elizabeth Wolstenholme Elmy

Secretary of Married Women’s Property Committee, Secularist and sexual radical, lived in ‘free love’ union with Benjamin John Elmy (1838 - 1906) who worked closely with her on the campaigns. Only w...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Hertha Ayrton

Hertha Ayrton

Electrical engineer and suffragist.  Born Phoebe Sarah Marks in Portsmouth.  Aged 16 began teaching in London.  Studied maths at Girton College Cambridge.  Married William Ayrton in 1885.  Elected ...

Person, Gender Issues, Science

1 memorial
Dorothy Richardson

Dorothy Richardson

Author and journalist.  Born Abingdon and brought up in Putney. Her father was bankrupt and her mother had committed suicide by the time Dorothy was 22. Moved to Bloomsbury in 1896 and while workin...

Person, Gender Issues, Literature

1 memorial
Marie Stopes

Marie Stopes

Born in Edinburgh. Scientist, writer, dramatist and poet. Publicist of the campaign for sexual education. Advocate of family planning and founder of pioneer birth control clinic. Courageous crusade...

Person, Gender Issues, Medicine, Science, Scotland

5 memorials
Ada Nield Chew

Ada Nield Chew

Working-class, factory worker, promoter of women’s trade unions. Born on a farm in North Staffordshire as Ada Nield. 1897 married George Chew ​(d.1940) who was also an organiser​ with the Independe...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial