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

Frederick Pethick-Lawrence

Frederick Pethick-Lawrence

Husband of Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence. Born London. Campaigned with his wife Emmeline for votes for women. Died at the Manor House Hospital, London.

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

3 memorials
Lillian Lenton

Lillian Lenton

Suffrage campaigner and hunger striker.

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Dame Margery Irene Corbett Ashby

Dame Margery Irene Corbett Ashby

Liberal politician and internationalist. Born East Sussex. Secretary of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and later President of the International Women’s Suffrage Alliance. The phot...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Suffragettes

Suffragettes

The wonderful Spitalfields Life published a map on the East End Suffragette activities.  And London Historians has a post 'Parliament and Votes for Women'.

Group, Gender Issues

4 memorials
Lady Mary Coke

Lady Mary Coke

Letter writer and noblewoman. Born Lady Mary Campbell at either Sudbrook, Surrey or 27 Bruton Street, London. After a strained courtship, she married Edward, Viscount Coke in 1747. He retaliated by...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial

Previously viewed

English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts,...

Group, Architecture, History, Property

415 memorials
Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St John's in 1727 but it was still run as a single vestry. In 1855 the two parishes were reformed into the Westminster Distric...

Group, Politics & Administration

179 memorials
Bermondsey Borough Council / Vestry

Bermondsey Borough Council / Vestry

The Vestry of Bermondsey was incorporated in 1855. In 1889 it became part of the County of London and then in 1900 the Vestries of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe were joined to form the Metropolitan Bo...

Group, Politics & Administration

4 memorials
Charity scholars

Charity scholars

Looking at London has a page about these little blue people but even there we can find no origin story explaining why and when the first such statues were erected. We note that there seems to be a ...

Group, Education, Philanthropy

23 memorials
Deptford Friends' Meeting House

Deptford Friends' Meeting House

It is believed that William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, also worshipped at this Quaker house. Demolished 1807.

Building, Religion

1 memorial