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

Lady Frances Balfour

Lady Frances Balfour

Liberal Women’s Suffrage Society and was on the executive committee of the NUWSS. Born as Frances Campbell at Argyll Lodge in Kensington, her father being the 8th Duke of Argyll. Her brother, John...

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Elizabeth Jesser Reid

Elizabeth Jesser Reid

Founder of Bedford College, anti-slavery activist and philanthropist. Her Wikipedia page is very informative. Elizabeth Jesser Sturch was born on 15 December 1789 in the St Clement Danes district...

Person, Education, Gender Issues, Philanthropy, Race Issues

1 memorial
William Thomas Stead

William Thomas Stead

Campaigning journalist and spiritualist. Born Northumberland. Committed to the peace movement, women's rights, civil liberties. As part of his campaign against juvenile prostitution he 'bought' 12 ...

Person, Gender Issues, Journalism / Publishing, Paranormal, Peace, Tragedy

2 memorials
Women's suffrage

Women's suffrage

Throughout history women have generally not been allowed to vote, with, by the 19th century, a few exceptions based on the woman's marital status or her property ownership, and then only in some el...

Event, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Westfield College

Westfield College

Founded in 1882 by Constance Louisa Maynard and Ann Dudin Brown, as a residential women's college modelled on women's colleges already established in Oxford and Cambridge. The name probably came fr...

Group, Education, Gender Issues

1 memorial