Elizabeth Thomson (14 September 1847 – 1918) was a Scottish

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

and a member of the

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

branch of the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and p ...

(WSPU). She was arrested for her involvement in WSPU

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

alongside her sister, Agnes. The

sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

were involved in the first

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

attempt in Scotland as part of the WSPU arson campaign in 1913. Elizabeth was awarded a Hunger Strike Medal 'for valour' by the WSPU.

Early life

Elizabeth Thomson was born on 14 September 1847 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

to Margaret Agnes Thomson and Robert Dundas Thomson, M.D, a physician. At age 11, in 1848, Thomson began attending the independent day school

Queen's College, London Queen's College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for girls aged 11–18 with an adjoining prep school for girls aged 4–11 located in the City of Westminster, London. It was founded in 1848 by theologian and social ...

. In 1866, Thomson briefly lived in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

– returning two years later to England to live in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. By 1881, both Thomson sisters had moved with their widowed mother to Hartington Place in Edinburgh. The 1881

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

further records the three women as living on "income from heinterest of money".

Career

Missions

Throughout the 1890s and 1900s, Thomson travelled the world with her sister, Agnes, working as teachers and missionaries, subsequently spending 18 years in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. In 1909, both Elizabeth and Agnes travelled back to the UK to settle in Edinburgh.The Suffragist Disturbances. The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 23 November 1911.

Suffrage

In June 1909, aged 61, Thomson was present at Edinburgh's Synod Hall where Emmeline Pankhurst, women's suffrage campaigner and leader of the

was speaking. Following this, both Elizabeth and Agnes joined the WSPU, during a meeting in Melville Place, where Adela Pankhurst, daughter of Emmeline, gave a speech. In October 1909, a large protest for women's suffrage took place in Edinburgh, marching along Princes Street. The following autumn, 1910, Thomson travelled to London to join the Pankhursts in their increasingly physical fight for women's right to vote. On 18 November 1910, the infamous clash between suffrage campaigners and police officers, known as Black Friday, took place on the streets of London. Thomson describes the day in her autobiography, noting that she was hurt by a man who hit her back, but that the other women involved were "so careful not to hurt each other" in the crush of bodies. Despite her increasing age and the violence involved, Thomson continued to campaign for the WSPU in London. In 1911, she was held at Cannon Row Police Station for throwing stones at government buildings on Gt Smith Street. In 1912 she was imprisoned in Holloway Gaol for one month for her part in a suffrage protest. In 1912 and 1913, Thomson travelled throughout

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, returning to live in Edinburgh in 1913.

Attempted arson and prison sentence

Her WSPU efforts continued, and on 5 April 1913, aged 65, the "elderly sisters", along with fellow Edinburgh WSPU members Arabella Scott and Edith Hudson, travelled to Kelso racecourse and attempted to burn down a stand.Crawford, Elizabeth (2006). The Women's Suffrage Movement in Britain and Ireland. Routledge. p237. The four women were arrested along with Donald McEwan, who had ordered the taxi from Edinburgh, and subsequently tried in Jedburgh Court on 19 May. The jury found the charges against Agnes (then 67) were '

not proven Not proven (, ) is a verdict available to a court of law in Scotland. Under Scots law, a criminal trial may end in one of three verdicts, one of conviction ("guilty") and two of acquittal ("not proven" and "not guilty").The Scottish criminal jur ...

' and recommended leniency for Elizabeth (then 65). Elizabeth was sentenced to three months while the others each received nine-month sentences. They were sent to Calton Jail where the women immediately went on a hunger strike.Geddes, JF (2008). "Culpable Complicity: the medical profession and the forcible feeding of suffragettes, 1909–1914". Women's History Review. 17(1):79–94. doi:10.1080/09612020701627977. p82. She was later released under the so-called 'Cat and Mouse Act' as a result of her hunger strike.Geddes, JF (2008). "Culpable Complicity: the medical profession and the forcible feeding of suffragettes, 1909–1914". Women's History Review. 17(1):79–94. doi:10.1080/09612020701627977. p82.The Suffragist Disturbances. The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 23 November 1911.

Later life and death

On 31 May 1913 – against court orders – Thomson fled Edinburgh for Germany. Edinburgh court records from the National Records of Scotland, show that on 27 May 1913, the police claimed to but admitted on 13 June 1913, that "the police have no information to the present whereabouts of Elizabeth Thomson and Edith Hudson and are continuing their search for them". The police did not find Thomson and she spent the winter of 1913 in San Sebastian, Spain, before travelling to London in May 1914. Thomson died in March 1918 at 15 Hartington Place, Edinburgh, aged 70 years old.

References

1847 births British women activists Prisoners and detainees of Scotland Scottish expatriates in India Scottish prisoners and detainees Scottish suffragettes Women's Social and Political Union 1918 deaths