Audlem History Society

October 2024

The next topic for Audlem History Society's season of talks is entitled "The Great Miss Lydia Becker", and will be given by Joanna Williams on Thursday, 17th October, 2024, at 7.30pm in the Scout and Guide Hall.

Manchester-born Lydia Becker was effectively the leader of the nationwide women's suffrage movement during the later nineteenth century. She used a legal loophole to enable up to 1000 women to vote in the 1868 general election, and persuaded the Manx parliament to allow women to vote as early as 1881.

Her success in transforming attitudes laid the foundations for later suffragists such as Emmeline Pankhurst to succeed in the longstanding battle for women's votes.

Joanna Williams is from Manchester, and studied History at the University there, as an under- and post-graduate. After lecturing, she taught History at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, and her particular fascination with the nineteenth century was inspired by the enthusiasm of her 6th form students. Her publications include a life of Abel Heywood (the radical Mayor of Manchester), and Joanna is now researching the life of Richard Marsden Pankhurst.

We do hope you will join us on this evening. (Visitors please pay £4 on the door).