Teacher

49

Single

'Trevarra' 30 Bouverie Road West, Folkestone.

WSPU

Evades

Florence (1862-1945) attended Somerville College, Oxford, via a grant, but her time there was cut short by her father's death. She took up several subsequent teaching posts over the next twenty years, spending six years teaching at Great Yarmouth High School. She became a member of the WSPU and one of its organizers. This meant that Florence led a nomadic lifestyle, living and organizing in Brighton, Bristol, the Midlands and Edinburgh between 1907 and 1909. However, by 1910 and until the end of 1912, Florence was based at 'Trevarra' and was the WSPU organizer for Canterbury and South Kent. It is likely that Florence took part in the organised suffrage boycott of the census in 1911, and that she was one of the unknown women listed at Trevarra and 'evading' courtesy of Trevarra's house keeper, Catherine Smart. Also in 1911, Florence was key in organizing local women's participation in the huge Women's Coronation Procession through London organised by suffrage campaigners across societies and gave a speech arguing for Votes for Women which was well received in the local press - not always the case. One argument put forward against female suffrage was that 'women had not sufficient political knowledge to warrant the vote'. Florence riposted in her speech that - 'There is no education for using the vote like having it ... we want to mind our own business and set the men free to mind theirs' to which their was much laughter (see image). Florence was arrested in 1913 in London when leading WSPU figure Annie Kenney was also arrested for incitement to riot. Florence was sentenced to 21 days in prison or a £5 fine for obstruction. Her fine was paid. Interestingly, Florence was also the author of 'The Women's Marseillaise' in 1909 a popular marching song published by the WSPU. See, Elizabeth Crawford, The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide, 1866-1928 (London: 2001).