The Purple Plaques () scheme in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, UK aims to install plaques on buildings to increase recognition of the lives of women who have had a significant and long-lasting impact associated with Wales. The scheme was initiated by several members of the

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

, led by

Julie Morgan Julie Morgan (née Edwards; 2 November 1944) is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North seat in the Senedd since the 2011 election. She was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff No ...

, Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North. The purple colour was chosen because of its association with the women's suffrage movement. The scheme was initially organised in partnership with the gender equality charity

Chwarae Teg was a charity in Wales supporting the economic development of women, as well as working with businesses and organisations to develop and improve working practices. It ceased operation in 2023. History Chwarae Teg was launched by a consortium ...

, (Fair Play) and subsequently became an independent charity. It was launched on 8 March 2017 (

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

) with the aim of installing the first plaque on the

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

building to commemorate

Val Feld Valerie Anne Feld (''née'' Valerie Breen Turner; 29 October 1947 – 17 July 2001), was a Welsh Labour Party politician. Background Born in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, she was educated at the Abbey School in Malvern and in 1969 married John Fe ...

. The plaques are glazed purple ceramic with white lettering. Subsequently, one to three plaques have been installed each year. Criteria for a plaque include that the person must be a deceased woman with strong links to Wales, and that she must have made a remarkable contribution in Wales or beyond. The extent of her impact on women, including as a role model, will also be considered, as well as whether she has already been commemorated. In addition to those who are already well known but may not yet be commemorated publicly, the scheme especially aims to recognise women who have previously not been recognised. Practical considerations such as a need for planning permission will also be considered. Val Feld plaque

Plaques installed

As of September 2024, 18 purple plaques have been installed to mark the following: *

, installed on Senedd building 2018. One of the architects of devolution for Wales; Director and founder of

Shelter Cymru Shelter Cymru is a housing and homelessness charity in Wales. Its vision is that a decent, secure home is a fundamental right and essential to the health and well-being of communities. Background Shelter Cymru provides independent, specialist adv ...

; activist for social and gender equality. *

Ursula Masson Ursula Masson (1945–2008), born Ursula O'Connor, was a Welsh academic and writer who worked closely with Jane Aaron (educator), Jane Aaron and Honno Press/Gwasg Honno, the Welsh Women's Press, on the imprint Welsh Women's Classics – to brin ...

, installed on

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

Central Library 2019. Academic specialising in women’s history and feminism; founded Centre for Gender Studies in Wales at

University of South Wales The University of South Wales (USW) () is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. The ...

. *

Megan Lloyd George Lady Megan Arvon Lloyd George, (22 April 1902 – 14 May 1966) was a Welsh politician and the first female Member of Parliament (MP) for a Welsh constituency. She also served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, before later becoming a L ...

, installed on her family's home in

Criccieth Criccieth, also spelled Cricieth (), is a town and community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, Wales, on the boundary between the Llŷn Peninsula and Eifionydd. The town is west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a ...

2019. First woman MP for a Welsh constituency. *

Angela Kwok Angela Kwok was a community champion for the Chinese community in Cardiff, Wales. From the 1970s to 2000s she helped isolated Chinese people in South Wales through founding societies and organising social events and translation services. In 2020 ...

, installed on her family's take-away in

Pontcanna is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, Wales. It is located adjacent to Canton, Cardiff. It is also located a short distance to the city centre, and its borders are approximately indicated by Western Avenue, the River ...

2020. Champion of isolated Chinese people in south Wales. *

Eunice Stallard Eunice Stallard (1917–2011) was a political and community activist in Wales. She was active in the Labour Party, involved in several peace movements, notably at Greenham Common in 1981 and organised community support during the 1984 - 1985 mi ...

, installed on the Miners Welfare Hall,

Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (; ) is a town in southwest Powys, Wales. It is located on the River Tawe, and was within the boundaries of the former county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes C ...

2020. Peace campaigner and political activist. *

Martha Gellhorn Martha Ellis Gellhorn (8 November 1908 – 15 February 1998) was an American novelist, travel writer and journalist who is considered one of the great war correspondents of the 20th century. She reported on virtually every major world confli ...

, installed on her retirement cottage in

Devauden Devauden () is a village and community in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is located between Chepstow and Monmouth near the top of the Trellech ridge on the B4293 road. The community covers an area of , and includes the villages of Itton and ...

2021. American war correspondent, novelist, travel writer, and journalist. * Charlotte Price White, installed on her family home in Bangor 2021. Suffragist and politician. *

Dinah Williams Dinah Williams born Dinah Eiluned Lyon Jones (23 July 1911 – 3 September 2009) was a British organic farmer. She was an early member of the Soil Association and she owned the first Welsh dairy farm to be recognised as organic. Life Williams was ...

, installed on a cow byre at her home in

Borth Borth () is a village, seaside resort and community in Ceredigion, Mid Wales; it is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberystwyth, on the Ceredigion Coast Path. The community includes the settlement of Ynyslas and the population was 1,399 ...

, Ceredigion, 2021. Pioneering woman organic farmer and entrepreneur. *

Eirene White, Baroness White Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White (née Jones; 7 November 1909 – 23 December 1999) was a British Labour politician and journalist. Early life White was born in Belfast, the daughter of Dr Thomas Jones, commonly known as "TJ", a noted civ ...

Flint Town Hall Flint Town Hall () is a municipal structure in the Market Square, Flint, Flintshire, Wales. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Flint Town Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first municipal building in Flint was a ha ...

in June 2022. She was one of the first three women to represent Wales in the UK Parliament, and indeed Wales's only female MP for ten years. *

Thora Silverthorne Thora Silverthorne (25 November 1910 – 17 January 1999), also known as "Red Silverthorne", was a Communist Party of Great Britain, British Communist, nurse and healthcare activist. She worked as a nanny for MP Somerville Hastings in her youth. ...

in 2022 in Abertillery; international brigader, trade unionist and nurse. *

Frances Hoggan Frances Elizabeth Hoggan (''née'' Morgan; 20 December 1843 – 5 February 1927) was a Welsh doctor and in 1870 became the first woman from the UK to receive a doctorate in medicine from any university in Europe. She was a pioneering medical prac ...

on 3 March 2023 at her birthplace in Brecon; campaigner, social reformer and the first female doctor to be registered in

. *

Patti Flynn Patti Flynn (born Patricia Maude Young, 1937 – 10 September 2020) was a Welsh jazz singer, author, model and social activist. She was a founder and patron of Black History Wales. In 2019 she was honoured with the Ethnic Minority Welsh Wom ...

, installed in the Wales Millennium Centre on 24 March 2023 in her home town of Cardiff: singer and black rights activist. * Rose Davies, councillor and campaigner. *

Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths Annie Jane Hughes Griffiths (April 5, 1873 – October 7, 1942) was one of the ten children of Frances (née Humphreys) and Robert Joseph Davies, born in 1873. Members of the family, including her parents and several siblings, were well-connected ...

was a peace campaigner. *

Jemima Nicholas Jemima Nicholas (also spelt Niclas; 2 March 1755 – 16 July 1832), also known as Jemima Fawr, was a Welsh heroine during the 1797 Battle of Fishguard (commonly known as the last invasion of mainland Britain). Early life Jemima Nicholas ...

helped prevent an invasion of Britain by French troops at Fishguard in the 18th century. * Dorothy Miles was a poet and activist in the deaf community. *

Bernice Rubens Bernice Rubens (26 July 1923 – 13 October 2004) was a Welsh novelist. She became the first woman to win the Booker Prize in 1970, for '' The Elected Member''. Personal life Bernice Ruth Reuben was born in Splott, Cardiff, Wales, on 26 July ...

was a novelist who was awarded the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

in 1970. *

Minnie Pallister Minnie Pallister (12 March 1885 – 26 March 1960) was an English political activist, political writer, self-described "Socialist propagandist", unsuccessful political candidate for the Independent Labour Party, and radio personality. Palli ...

, a political activist, peace campaigner, writer and feminist.

References

{{reflist Cultural history of the United Kingdom Cultural history of Wales Historical markers Types of monuments and memorials