Leonora Helen Tyson ( Wolff; 13 August 1883 – 4 February 1959) was an English

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 member 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).

Life

Leonora Helen Wolff was born in

Bradford, Yorkshire Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, on 13 August 1883, to Gustav Wolff, a German doctor of music, and Rosa Helen Ashton. She was the fifth of six children. In 1901 the family moved to London. In 1908 while living in Drewstead Road,

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, the family changed their name from Wolff to Tyson. It was around this time that Rosa Tyson and her daughters Diana and Leonora became involved in the WSPU. In February 1908 Tyson and her mother were both arrested at the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

while taking part in a protest. Tyson became very active in the organisation serving as Honorary Secretary of the Streatham branch in 1909 and Secretary of the Lambeth branch in 1910, resuming her role in

in 1911. Tyson spoke at many meetings in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

, and further afield. In October 1911 Tyson who was fluent in German represented the WSPU at the Women's Congress in Hamburg, Germany. In 1911, the ''Anti-Suffrage Alphabet'', authored by

Laurence Housman Laurence Housman (; 18 July 1865 – 20 February 1959) was an English playwright, writer and illustrator whose career stretched from the 1890s to the 1950s. He studied art in London and worked largely as an illustrator during the first years o ...

and edited by Tyson, was published in London. Her suffragette activities led to some time spent in

Holloway Prison HM Prison Holloway was a British prison security categories, closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, ...

after being arrested at a protest in central London in March 1912. In April 1912, Tyson went on a hunger strike. She was force-fed by prison authorities after three days of refusing food and water. She was released in May of the same year. Her signature is among those embroidered on

The Suffragette Handkerchief The Suffragette Handkerchief is a handkerchief displayed at The Priest House, West Hoathly in West Sussex, England. It has sixty-six embroidered signatures and two sets of initials, mostly of women imprisoned in HMP Holloway for their part in th ...

in Holloway in March 1912. Tyson was awarded the WPSU

Hunger Strike Medal The Hunger Strike Medal was a silver medal awarded between August 1909 and 1914 to suffragette prisoners by the leadership of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). During their imprisonment, many went on hunger strike while serving the ...

The citation engraved on the bar is 'For Valour' and the inscription on the box would say

"PRESENTED BY THE WOMEN'S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL UNION IN RECOGNITION OF A GALLANT ACTION, WHEREBY THROUGH ENDURANCE TO THE LAST EXTREMITY OF HUNGER AND HARDSHIP A GREAT PRINCIPLE OF POLITICAL JUSTICE WAS VINDICATED."

The medal ribbons were in the WSPU colours of green white and purple. Tyson's medal (box missing) is in the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

. Tyson died on 4 February 1959, aged 75, at her niece's home in

East Sheen East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long High Street, high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic ...

. In 2009, a residential mews in West

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

(2 miles from Tyson's home in Streatham), was named after Tyson, entitled Leonora Tyson Mews.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Leonora English suffragettes 1883 births 1959 deaths English people of German descent People from Bradford People from Streatham Hunger Strike Medal recipients