Lillian Forrester ( Williamson; 1879–1916) was a British suffragette who led an attack on paintings at

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupi ...

Life

She was born Lillian Williamson in 1879, and was the second daughter of Arthur Williamson, a commercial clerk, and Elizabeth Hall. She attended Owen's College, which later became

Victoria University of Manchester The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. A ...

. She had a degree in History. Forrester joined 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) and served as secretary of the Manchester branch. In 1911 Forrester was invited to Eagle House near

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

by Linley Blathwayt and Emily Blathwayt. The Blathwayts invited leading suffragettes to visit their house. They created over 40 memorial trees to celebrate these visits in what was known as "Annie's Arbour." Forrester led an attack on the

on 3 April 1913 against the imprisonment and ill treatment of

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst (; Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women to win in 1918 the women's suffrage, right to vote in United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. She, Evelyn Manesta and Annie Briggs waited until the gallery was closing and then proceeded to break the glass on many of the most valuable paintings in gallery 5. The three attacked the glass of thirteen paintings including two by

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...

and two by George Frederick Watts. Staff were alerted by the sound of broken glass and the three were apprehended. Four of the paintings had been damaged by the broken glass. They were bailed to appear before

magistrates The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

the next day. Militant Suffragettes as identified by the UK Criminal Record Office

When on trial, Briggs persuaded the court that she had been present but had not been involved and was acquitted. Manesta was given a sentence of a month. Forrester was married by the time of her arrest, and told the jury that her husband approved of what she did. As she had a previous conviction, her sentence was three months in the second division cells at Strangeways Prison for

malicious damage Property damage (sometimes called damage to property) is the damage or destruction of real or tangible personal property, caused by negligence, willful destruction, or an act of nature. Destruction of property (sometimes called property dest ...

. While Forrester was imprisoned she and Manesta were secretly photographed hiding in a van as the women took exercise in the yard and pictures of them were circulated with pictures of other militant suffragettes to police and art gallery staff. Manesta's photograph was modified to hide that she was being held around the neck whilst the photograph was taken. After the Manchester branch of the WSPU was disbanded, Forrester joined the United Suffragists. Forrester died in 1916.

Paintings involved in attack

*The Last Watch of Hero and Captive Andromache by Lord

Frederic Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and clas ...

*The Last of the Garrison by Briton Riviere *Birnam Woods by

*The Prayer and Portrait of The Hon J L Motley by George Frederick Watts *A Flood by John Everett Millais *When Apples were Golden by John Melhuish Strudwick *

The Shadow of Death ''The Shadow of Death'' is a religious painting by the English painter William Holman Hunt, on which he worked from 1870 to 1873, during his second trip to the Holy Land. It depicts Jesus as a young man prior to his ministry, working as a carp ...

William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism ...

*Astarte Syriaca by

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

*Sybilla Delphica by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

*Paola and Francesca by George Frederick Watts *The Syrinx by Arthur Hacker

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Lillian 1879 births Year of death missing British female criminals British women's rights activists Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom British suffragists Eagle House suffragettes Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales 20th-century British criminals