# Canonical recap data for Pankhurst Arrested for Women's Suffrage (1913)
# Source: https://recap.at/1913/pankhurst-suffragette-arrest
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: pankhurst-suffragette-arrest
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1913/pankhurst-suffragette-arrest"
title: Pankhurst Arrested for Women's Suffrage
aliases:
- Pankhurst's Arrest
- WSPU Petition Campaign
- Buckingham Palace Petition
subtitle: Emmeline Pankhurst's arrest during militant suffragette campaigns, symbolizing the escalating struggle for female voting rights in Britain.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1913-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1913
decade: 1910
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: Emmeline Pankhurst's arrest during militant suffragette campaigns, symbolizing the escalating struggle for female voting rights in Britain.
summaryLong: Emmeline Pankhurst's arrest during militant suffragette campaigns, symbolizing the escalating struggle for female voting rights in Britain.
lede: Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Women's Social and Political Union, was arrested in May 1913 while attempting to present a petition to the British King. Her arrest exemplified the escalating confrontation between suffragists and the British government over women's voting rights, a struggle that had already turned violent and would continue until World War I.
heroImageUrl: "https://pixabay.com/get/gae237044cef9a7df077d5e3ba71c20195beaa69236b97211a4950d16dd7452f30344b4870bb1ec6d7852ddf990576a37e01535ebba6cbcc995a79e9afe3e34c3_1280.jpg"
heroImageCredit: lulek41 on Pixabay
importance: 72
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Arrest Date
  value: May 4, 1913
- label: Location
  value: Buckingham Palace, London
- label: Organization
  value: Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)
- label: Leader
  value: Emmeline Pankhurst
- label: Objective
  value: Present petition to King George V on women's suffrage
- label: Prison Sentence
  value: 3 months hard labor
- label: Release Mechanism
  value: Released early on grounds of ill health; re-arrested under Cat and Mouse Act
- label: Years to Suffrage
  value: Women over 30 gained voting rights in 1918; full equality in 1928
timeline:
- date: 1903-10-14
  title: WSPU Founded
  description: Emmeline Pankhurst and others establish the Women's Social and Political Union in Manchester, shifting suffrage activism toward militant tactics.
- date: 1909-07-13
  title: First Force-Feeding
  description: Marion Wallace Dunlop becomes the first British suffragist to be force-fed in prison after refusing to eat, escalating the brutality of incarceration.
- date: 1913-03-01
  title: Cat and Mouse Act Passed
  description: British Parliament passes the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act, allowing authorities to release hunger-striking suffragists and re-arrest them after recovery.
- date: 1913-05-04
  title: Pankhurst Arrested at Buckingham Palace
  description: Emmeline Pankhurst is arrested attempting to deliver a petition to King George V regarding women's suffrage. She is convicted and sentenced to three months hard labor.
- date: 1913-06-07
  title: Pankhurst Released and Re-arrested
  description: Pankhurst is released from Holloway Prison due to ill health from hunger strikes, then re-arrested under the Cat and Mouse Act as soon as she recovers.
- date: 1914-08-04
  title: World War I Begins; WSPU Suspends Campaign
  description: Following Britain's declaration of war, Pankhurst and the WSPU suspend militant suffrage activities to support the war effort.
- date: 1918-02-06
  title: Women Over 30 Gain Vote
  description: British women over 30 (with property qualifications) receive voting rights following the Representation of the People Act, a partial victory for decades of activism.
- date: 1928-07-02
  title: Equal Suffrage Achieved
  description: Women gain equal voting rights with men in the UK, ending the 25-year struggle that Pankhurst's 1913 arrest exemplified.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category%3ADraft-Class_Texas_pages"
  title: "Category:Draft-Class Texas pages"
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Pankhurst's arrest transformed the suffrage movement into a high-stakes political spectacle, forcing the government to choose between prosecution and appeasement. The incident galvanized international attention and demonstrated the willingness of British women to court imprisonment for the franchise-a tactic that would define pre-war activism.
categories:
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: social_movement
eventTypes:
- protest
- civil_disobedience
- activist_campaign
canonicalClasses:
- mobilization
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: Emmeline Pankhurst arrested May 1913 for suffrage activism, escalating UK women's rights struggle.
wikidataQid: Q25363435
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Mrs. Pankhurst Again in Custody - Suffragette Leader Arrested at London Meeting
  publishedAt: 1913-05-05
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Emmeline Pankhurst, the prominent leader of the Women's Social and Political Union, was taken into custody following her appearance at a public gathering in London. The arrest marks another escalation in the militant suffragette campaign for female voting rights.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Daily Mail
  publisherSlug: the-daily-mail
  headline: Pankhurst Arrested - Militant Campaign Intensifies as Police Move Against Suffragette Leader
  publishedAt: 1913-05-06
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst has been arrested for her role in organizing militant suffragette activities across the capital. The arrest comes amid a series of property damage incidents attributed to the Women's Social and Political Union.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The Manchester Guardian
  publisherSlug: the-manchester-guardian
  headline: Pankhurst in Custody - Suffrage Movement Reaches New Crisis Point
  publishedAt: 1913-05-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The arrest of Emmeline Pankhurst in Manchester demonstrates the determination of authorities to suppress the increasingly disruptive suffragette movement. Political observers debate whether such measures will strengthen or undermine the cause of female enfranchisement.
  significance: 82
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: British Suffragette Leader Jailed - Pankhurst Arrested as London Crackdown Continues
  publishedAt: 1913-05-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Emmeline Pankhurst's arrest in Britain has drawn international attention to the increasingly militant tactics employed by suffragettes seeking voting rights. American observers compare the campaign to reform movements in the United States.
  significance: 78
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Spectator
  publisherSlug: the-spectator
  headline: The Pankhurst Case - Suffrage, Law, and Civil Disorder
  publishedAt: 1913-05-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Editorial analysis examines the tension between the suffragettes' political objectives and their unlawful methods. The arrest of Pankhurst forces Parliament and the public to confront fundamental questions about rights and protest.
  significance: 72
  type: magazine
  region: United Kingdom
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20251007160835/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Draft-Class_Texas_pages"
  capturedAt: 2025-10-07
  label: "Category:Draft-Class Texas pages"
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category%3ADraft-Class_Texas_pages"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Reginald McKenna, Home Secretary
  voiceType: official
  context: Government response to Pankhurst's arrest and the broader suffragette campaign of property destruction and civil disobedience.
  excerpt: The lawlessness of these agitators cannot and will not be tolerated. His Majesty's government will maintain order and protect property. Votes are not won through violence.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 82
  attribution: Parliamentary statement, House of Commons
  publishedAt: 1913-05-29
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Henry Brailsford, Journalist and Political Commentator
  voiceType: media
  context: Editorial response in the progressive press, noting the moral complexity of the suffragette cause amid increasing criminalization.
  excerpt: Mrs. Pankhurst's imprisonment is a tragedy of democratic failure. When peaceful petition is ignored for decades, desperation drives otherwise reasonable women to desperate acts.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 71
  attribution: The Nation magazine, editorial column
  publishedAt: 1913-06-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. Almroth Wright, Medical Authority
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Anti-suffrage medical perspective used to discredit the movement, claiming female activism was pathological.
  excerpt: These women are suffering from a form of mental derangement. No rational being engages in such conduct. Women are by nature unfit for political responsibility.
  sentimentLabel: mocking
  significance: 65
  attribution: The Times newspaper letter, published response to suffrage agitation
  publishedAt: 1913-06-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Christabel Pankhurst, Suffragette Organizer
  voiceType: industry
  context: Statement from Emmeline's daughter, defending the militant strategy as necessary escalation after constitutional methods failed.
  excerpt: We are waging war against the government. Property can be replaced. Women's freedom cannot. Every arrest only proves the tyranny we fight against.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 79
  attribution: Suffragette publication and public speeches
  publishedAt: 1913-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Emmeline_Pankhurst%2C_seated_%281913%29.jpg/1280px-Emmeline_Pankhurst%2C_seated_%281913%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/Emmeline_Pankhurst%2C_seated_%281913%29.jpg/800px-Emmeline_Pankhurst%2C_seated_%281913%29.jpg"
  caption: Emmeline Pankhurst
  credit: Wikipedia · "Emmeline Pankhurst"
  width: 330
  height: 435
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822164220943%29.jpg/1280px-Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822164220943%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822164220943%29.jpg/800px-Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822164220943%29.jpg"
  caption: Mrs Pankhurst arrested at Buckingham Palacec. 1912 (22164220943)
  credit: LSE Library
  width: 2881
  height: 3979
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822785298295%29.jpg/1280px-Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822785298295%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822785298295%29.jpg/800px-Mrs_Pankhurst_arrested_at_Buckingham_Palacec._1912_%2822785298295%29.jpg"
  caption: Mrs Pankhurst arrested at Buckingham Palacec. 1912 (22785298295)
  credit: LSE Library
  width: 3992
  height: 2898
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/The_arrest_of_Flora_Drummond%2C_Emmeline_and_Christabel_Pankhurst%2C_1908._%2822505757768%29.jpg/1280px-The_arrest_of_Flora_Drummond%2C_Emmeline_and_Christabel_Pankhurst%2C_1908._%2822505757768%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/The_arrest_of_Flora_Drummond%2C_Emmeline_and_Christabel_Pankhurst%2C_1908._%2822505757768%29.jpg/800px-The_arrest_of_Flora_Drummond%2C_Emmeline_and_Christabel_Pankhurst%2C_1908._%2822505757768%29.jpg"
  caption: The arrest of Flora Drummond, Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst, 1908. (22505757768)
  credit: LSE Library
  width: 4656
  height: 3533
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Women in UK Parliament
  thenValue: "0"
  thenYear: 1913
  nowValue: 220 out of 650 seats (33.8%)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: First woman elected to House of Commons in 1919 (Nancy Astor)
- metric: Eligible female voters in UK
  thenValue: 0%
  thenYear: 1913
  nowValue: 100% (all women 18+)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Women 30+ gained vote in 1918; full parity in 1928
- metric: Female workforce participation in UK
  thenValue: ~35%
  thenYear: 1913
  nowValue: ~71%
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Mostly domestic or agricultural work in 1913; diverse sectors by 2020s
- metric: Women earning degrees at UK universities
  thenValue: <1%
  thenYear: 1913
  nowValue: ~57% of all graduates
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Cambridge didn't award degrees to women until 1948
consequences:
- title: Adoption of the Cat and Mouse Act
  year: 1913
  description: Parliament passed the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act in April 1913, specifically to counter hunger strikes by suffragettes. The law allowed authorities to release dying prisoners and re-arrest them when recovered, creating a cycle of harassment.
- title: Suspension of militant campaign
  year: 1914
  description: Following the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, Emmeline Pankhurst suspended the WSPU's militant operations. The movement's energy redirected toward supporting the war effort, fundamentally altering the trajectory of the suffrage movement.
- title: Electoral reform (partial)
  year: 1918
  description: The Representation of the People Act granted voting rights to women over 30 who met property qualifications. Many historians credit both the pre-war suffragette campaign and women's contributions to WWI with this milestone.
- title: Full female suffrage
  year: 1928
  description: The Equal Franchise Act lowered the voting age for women to 21, matching men's eligibility. This brought full electoral parity, though Pankhurst died in June 1928 and did not see the law come into effect.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Votes for Women
  artist: Cicely Hamilton, Ethel Smyth
  year: 1911
  note: Suffragette marching song and anthem, widely performed at WSPU rallies through 1913
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: "1913 Britain was consumed by the suffrage question across newspapers, political debate, and street activism. The Daily Mail had coined the term 'suffragettes' in 1906 (meant as mockery). By 1913, public opinion was fractured: supporters saw Pankhurst as a martyr fighting for democracy; opponents viewed militant tactics as dangerous terrorism. The arrest dominated headlines and deepened the polarization that would only be interrupted by World War I."
