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.

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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

Fairfield Works Fairfield Road. The scene of the match girls strike of 1888. ...

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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

Edith S. Kerrison

Edith S. Kerrison

The first woman to serve on the West Ham council and an advocate of welfare for women and children. Was offered the Mayoralty but in view of her advancing years and increasing deafness she declined...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, Social Welfare

1 memorial
East London Toy Factory

East London Toy Factory

Opened by Sylvia Pankhurst as an answer to the dozens of tiny failing workshops where women were paid a pittance. Toys were no longer being imported from Germany, so the factory employed 59 women t...

Building, Children, Commerce, Gender Issues

1 memorial
South London Fawcett Group

South London Fawcett Group

From their Twitter page: South London Fawcett Group is a local group of the Fawcett Society which campaigns nationally for equality between women and men. 

Group, Community / Clubs, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Suffragettes' Women's Hall

Suffragettes' Women's Hall

This 1893 map (extract here) shows a hall, Salisbury Hall, beside the pub (Morpeth Arms) set back behind a house on Old Ford Road.  This 1870 map shows the hall labelled 'Bethal Chapel (Baptist)'. ...

Building, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, Religion

1 memorial
Sarah Reddish

Sarah Reddish

Sarah Reddish was a Bolton-based trade unionist and suffragette, who was active in the cooperative movement. A supporter of women running for local elections as a springboard to gaining national vo...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial

Previously viewed

L. P. Harte
War dead, WW2
1 memorial