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Event    From 2/7/1888  To 16/7/1888

Matchgirls' strike

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

South London Fawcett Group

South London Fawcett Group

From their Twitter page: South London Fawcett Group is a local group of the Fawcett Society which campaigns nationally for equality between women and men. 

Group, Community / Clubs, Gender Issues

1 memorial
Women's Liberal Association

Women's Liberal Association

Women's suffrage movement. It seems that many of these groups merged to form the Liberal Women's Foundation in 1887.

Group, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Barbara Harmer

Barbara Harmer

The first qualified female supersonic pilot and the first to fly Concorde. Born at the house with the plaque, she was raised in Bognor Regis and left school aged 15 to become a hairdresser but the...

Person, Gender Issues, Transport

1 memorial
Edith Mansell-Moullin

Edith Mansell-Moullin

Suffragist of Welsh heritage and social activist. Proud of her Welsh roots, she founded the Cymric Suffrage Union, which was dedicated to gaining the vote for Welsh women. She was the co-organizer ...

Person, Gender Issues, Wales

1 memorial
Mary Macarthur

Mary Macarthur

Suffragist and trades unionist. Born Mary Reid Macarthur in Glasgow. She was the general secretary of the Women's Trade Union League and was involved in the formation of the National Federation of ...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, Scotland

2 memorials