Disgusted Ladies

The women of Tunbridge Wells who fought for the right to vote

by Anne Carwardine

Readable and immersive local history.

Provides a great way of learning about the national Votes for Women campaign.

Ties in with the 100th anniversary of women first getting the vote in the UK.

Draws on in-depth research to provide a historically accurate account.

From Matilda Biggs, who signed the first national petition in 1866, to Olive Walton, who went on hunger strike and was force fed in 1912, Tunbridge Wells was home to a series of ordinary yet extraordinary Votes for Women campaigners.

The ‘disgusted ladies’ were very different from the angry newspaper correspondent who would occupy the columns of local newspapers in later decades. They were also angry, but their anger had a specific focus – the government’s continual refusal to give them the vote.

Their activities included collecting petition signatures, marching, selling suffrage newspapers, fundraising, running shops, evading the census and withholding taxes. And, with London only a short train journey away, they were present at many of the major protests and processions which took place there.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, including diaries, personal papers and contemporary newspapers, Disgusted Ladies brings the stories of these amazing women to life.

Book Reviews

What an interesting book! Especially if you know Tunbridge Wells (though I'm a Lewesian). Fascinating to view the long struggle for Votes for Women through a local lens. Very well researched, well written, informative, lively. Thank you Anne!

by Jane Salvage

About the Author

Anne Carwardine

Anne, who lives in a converted coach-house in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, is a researcher and writer with a particular interest in local and women's history.

Having grown up near Tunbridge Wells, Anne returned to live there around ten years ago. Since then she has researched the town's history extensively and started a blog, 'Tunbridge Tales', in which she tells the stories of past residents. 'Disgusted Ladies: the women of Tunbridge Wells who fought for the right to vote' is her first book.