Laura Frances Ainsworth (1884 - 1958)

Born 23 May 1884 in Yoxford, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 14 Jul 1958 at age 74 in Bramham, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

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Laura Ainsworth is Notable.

Laura Ainsworth was a part of the Suffragette Movement.

Biography

Laura Frances Ainsworth was an English teacher and suffragette. A member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), she was one of the first suffragettes to be force-fed.^[1]

Early Years

The daughter of a school inspector, Laura was born in Yoxford, Suffolk, in 1884 to John Duxbury Ainsworth and Eliza Carter.^[2][3][4] She became a teacher but in 1909 became a full time worker for the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).^[1]

Activism

WSPU poster showing a suffragette prisoner being force-fed

Laura initially coordinated WSPU activities in the Midlands with Gladice Keevil.^[5][6] In May 1909 Laura was one of four women arrested for creating a disturbance in Manchester during a visit by Winston Churchill where missiles, believed to be pieces of coke, were thrown. The women were later released.^[7]

Laura's other arrest occurred when she was involved in the protest on 17 September 1909 in Birmingham, where Prime Minister Herbert Asquith was attending a meeting. Suffragettes used axes to remove tiles from the roof of a nearby building and threw them to the ground. Laura was arrested at the front line for throwing stones and also possessed a hatchet. She was taken with several other women to Winson Green Prison, where she took part in wrecking the cells in which they were placed, and subsequently received a 14 day prison sentence with hard labour.^[8][9]

As a protest for being treated as a common criminal instead of a political prisoner, Laura was one of the women who went on a hunger strike, and one of the first to be force-fed.^[1] Placed in a chair and held down by four wardresses, she was tube-fed twice every day, and at midday meat extract was forced through her teeth.

"My mouth was forced open and a tube inserted and pushed down my throat a foot or more. I was gagged by a cork with a hole through which the tube went, liquid was poured down through a funnel, the tongue was pressed down and the tube forced down the gullet. The sensation caused a horrible choking and stunned feeling. When the tube was withdrawn it seemed as if my inside was being pulled out." ^[10]

Upon her release from prison on 5 October, Laura was sent to a nursing home in Birmingham in a weakened state to recuperate.^[11]

Suffragette Hunger Strike Medal

The WSPU promptly attempted to bring charges of assault upon the Home Secretary, Herbert Gladstone, the prison Governor, Captain Green, and Dr Ernest Haslar Helby, the prison doctor who performed the forced feeds. The charges were promptly dismissed by the court.^[12]

To honour the sacrifices made by the suffragettes, the WSPU awarded a hunger strike medal to all who were force-fed.^[13]

On 3 November Dr Ernest Helby, the doctor who force-fed the suffragettes in Winson Green prison, was stopped in a Birmingham street by Patricia Woodlock and Laura Ainsworth. They demanded the release of their friend Charlie Marsh who still had six weeks to serve, and warned him they would 'do something desperate' if she was not released within one week. When his windows were broken by the suffragettes, police informed that they wanted the incident kept quiet. Charlie Marsh was eventually released on 9 December.^[14]

Laura continued her work as an organiser up and down the country, in Lancashire, Essex, Kent and Northumberland.^[5]

Nationally, the suffragette movement decided to boycott the 1911 census, as the government had constructed a new set of questions directly relating to women’s fertility, with the intention of using the resulting statistics as a basis for future legislation. The suffragettes insisted that "If we don't count - we are not going to be counted".^[15]

Laura was at this time an organiser in Gillingham, Kent. On census night, 2 April 1911, Laura hired a hall, enabling local women to vacate their homes to avoid being enumerated in the census. About 40 women spent the night in the hall dancing, singing and playing cards, with two breakfasts, served at 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. respectively. Local residents worried about the noise during the night called the police, who issued a warning to the suffragettes. Although the census enumerator left forms at the hall for the women to complete, they refused.^[16]

When Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence's objection to the use of arson resulted in her ejection from the WSPU in 1912, Laura protested the decision by leaving the organisation for the National Political League.^[5]

She was also chairman of the North-East Area of the Women's Section of the Royal British Legion and the honorary secretary of the League of Nations Union in Northumberland.^[5]

Death and Burial

Laura died as a result of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1958 at Bramham, Yorkshire and left her body to a medical school.^[17] Her body was interred on 23 June 1960 at Harehills Cemetery in Leeds, West Yorkshire.^[18]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Crawford, Elizabeth. The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928. Routledge, 2003, pp. 5-6. (Google Books, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=a2EK9P7-ZMsC&pg=PA5&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 10 Sep 2021)
2. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ : accessed 10 September 2021) database entry for Ainsworth, Laura Frances (Mother's maiden name: Carter) GRO Reference: 1885 Q2 in Blything, Volume 04A, Page 828. PDF copy of birth record in the possession of Leandra Ford. Note: Laura was born 23 May 1884 but the birth was not registered until 27 Apr 1885.
3. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q8ZP-7PZ : 22 February 2021), John D Arnsworth, Deptford, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, London county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, Class: RG12; Piece: 504; Folio: 46; Page: 14; GSU roll: 6095614. For image see: Ancestry Record 6598 #8326282 Ancestry Sharing Link
   

   Jerningham Road, St Paul Deptford, Kent
   John D. Ainsworth, head, mar, 41y, Inspector's Assistant Educational Office, born: Great Harwood, Lancashire
   Eliza Ainsworth, wife, mar, 37y, born: Thornes, Yorkshire
   Sarah A. Ainsworth, dau, 15y, scholar, born: Southport, Lancashire
   Mary Ainsworth, dau, 13y, scholar, born: Southport, Lancashire
   Harold C. Ainsworth, son, 8y, scholar, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Laura F. Ainsworth, dau, 6y, scholar, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Dorothy G. Ainsworth, dau, 5y, scholar, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   John M. B. Ainsworth, son, 4y, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Alice Ani Ainsworth, dau, 2y, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Grace Sisson, visitor, unm, 34y, Schoolmistress, born: Greenhead, Northumberland

4. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9CN-PM6 : 20 May 2019), Laura F Ainsworth in household of John D Ainsworth, Streatham, London, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Streatham subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey, Class: RG13; Piece: 475; Folio: 108; Page: 35. For image see: Ancestry Record 7814 #3544594 Ancestry Sharing Link
   

   44 Thornton Avenue, Streatham, Surrey
   John D. Ainsworth, head, mar, 51y, Sub inspector of school board, born: Great Harwood, Lancashire
   Eliza Ainsworth, wife, mar, 47y, born: Thornes, Yorkshire
   Sarah A. Ainsworth, dau, unm, 25y, born: Southport, Lancashire
   Mary Ainsworth, dau, unm, 23y, born: Southport, Lancashire
   Harold Ainsworth, son, unm, 18y, Pupil teacher school, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Laura F. Ainsworth, dau, unm, 16y, Pupil teacher school, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Grace C. Ainsworth, dau, unm, 15y, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   John M. Ainsworth, son, unm, 14y, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Alice A. Ainsworth, dau, unm, 12y, born: Yoxford, Suffolk
   Edith H. Ainsworth, dau, unm, 6y, New Cross
   Richard Noble, cousin, unm, 15y, born: Harwood, Lancashire
   Thomas Noble, cousin, unm, 13y, born: Harwood, Lancashire

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Simkin, John. Laura Ainsworth. Jan 2020. (Sparticus Educational, https://spartacus-educational.com/WainsworthL.htm : accessed 12 Sep 2021)
6. ↑ Votes For Women. 4 Jun 1909, page 16, column 2, Midlands. (British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002187/19090604/066/0016 : accessed 12 Sep 2021)
7. ↑ Leicester Chronicle, Leicestershire. 29 May 1909, page 4, column 6, Mr Churchill at Manchester. (British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000173/19090529/096/0004 : accessed 12 Sep 2021)
8. ↑ Shipley Times and Express, Yorkshire, England. 24 Sep 1909, page 3, column 5. Wrecked The Cells. (British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/ : accessed 10 September 2021)
9. ↑ The Liverpool Daily Post and Mercury, Lancashire. 23 Sep 1909, page 7, column 3. Hard Labour for Suffragettes. (British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000648/19090923/162/0007 : accessed 12 September 2021)
10. ↑ Atkinson, Diane. Rise Up Women! Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition, 2018, location 2959, pp179-180.
11. ↑ Swindon Advertiser, Wiltshire. 5 Oct 1909, page 3, column 3. The Suffragettes in Prison. (British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0003120/19091005/101/0003 : accessed 12 September 2021)
12. ↑ Dundee Evening Telegraph, Scotland, 6 Oct 1909, page 3, column 7, Laura Ainsworth Applies for Summons Against Gladstone. (British Newspaper Archive, https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000563/19091006/075/0003 : accessed 12 September 2021)
13. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hunger Strike Medal," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hunger_Strike_Medal&oldid=1028312224 (accessed September 12, 2021).
14. ↑ Atkinson, Diane. Rise Up Women! location 3175, pp191-192.
15. ↑ Suffrage Stories: The 1911 Census: The Gillingham Suffragettes’ Boycott. Published online 11 Nov 2013. (Woman and Her Sphere, https://womanandhersphere.com/tag/laura-ainsworth/ : accessed 10 Sep 2021)
16. ↑ Gillingham suffragette led a boycott of the 1911 census. Published online 20 Mar 2011. (BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/kent/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9424000/9424365.stm : accessed 10 Sep 2021)
17. ↑ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVC8-WB89 : 4 September 2014), Laura F Ainsworth, 1958; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Barkston Ash, Yorkshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England. Certified copy of death certificate in the possession of Leandra Ford. Death Date: 14 Jul 1958, Location: Bramham Cottage, Bramham, Age: 74y, Occupation: Nil, Marital Status: Spinster, Relative: Unknown Ainsworth (father) a Board School Inspector (retired), Cause of Death: Cerebral Haemorrhage.
18. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/226733409/laura-frances-ainsworth: accessed 10 September 2021), memorial page for Laura Frances Ainsworth (1886–23 Jun 1960), Find A Grave: Memorial #226733409, citing Harehills Cemetery, Leeds, Metropolitan Borough of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England; Maintained by woowoo (contributor 49949980).

See Also:

• British Suffragettes
• Wikidata: Item Q42396828
• Laura Ainsworth