SUFFRAGE – SCOTTISH MARCH MEDAL 1912

SUFFRAGE – SCOTTISH MARCH MEDAL 1912 Silver fob medal, engraved 'Edinburgh/ To/ London/ Nov. 16th 1912' on central roundel, engraved '400 Miles/ of devoted work/ for/ Women's Suffrage/ M.S.' on reverse, maker's mark D.G.C. [Daniel George Collins], stamped 'Sterling Silver', brown and green ribbon, medal 38mm. diameter, overall 90 x 38mm., [1912] Footnotes: SCARCE SUFFRAGE MEDAL COMMEMORATING THE WOMEN'S FREEDOM LEAGUE MARCH FROM EDINBURGH TO LONDON, 1912. On 12 October 1912, six women, left Edinburgh on a 400-mile march to London along the Great North Road, gathering fellow marchers on the way, and arriving at Trafalgar Square on 16 November. They were welcomed by huge crowds of suffragettes and prominent male suffragists for a mass meeting, after which they presented their 'monster' petition to Prime Minister Asquith. The organiser and leader of the march was Florence de Fonblanque (1864-1949), sometime actress and member of the WSPU, the Women's Freedom League and the New Constitutional Society for Women's Suffrage, who wanted to draw attention in a peaceable way to the issue of women's suffrage and other social issues such as sweatshop labour. The marchers became known as 'Brown Women' for their distinctive uniform of brown suits and hats, decorated with scarves and cockades in bright green (suits available from Messrs. Debenham & Freebody of Wigmore Street at £2 each, with matching hat at 5/6, or made from material purchased at the same firm at 2/3 per yard), colours represented in the distinctive brown and green ribbon from which our medal hangs. Recruits were invited to join the march at any point along the route and for any length of time at their own expense, relying on supporters to feed and accommodate them along the way. '...Cordiality and enthusiasm meet us on every hand, and the generous hospitality we receive everywhere is most encouraging...' noted de Fonblanque, '... the public are at least anxious to study the Suffrage question...' (Votes for Women, 25 October 1912). The march gained much press attention and the bad weather failed to dampen the spirits of the marchers who held meetings and collected signatures along the way: '...wet through and tired as they must be, they were merry as crickets... their russet brown costumes were soon almost chocolate-coloured with rain...', wrote one special correspondent (Valerie Glass, My Search for Suffragists and Suffragettes in North Northumberland, 2018, online). Votes for Women keenly reported on the pluck and resourcefulness of the marchers: '...Mrs de Fonblanque relates that they met a group of men repairing telephone wires... one who was at the top of the pole would not come down. 'Will you sign it if I bring it up?' shouted Miss Ada Wright... whereupon Miss Wright climbed the pole and obtained the signature...' (8 November 1912). Although it arguably achieved no definitive political gains, it was supported by the WSPU and a report in Votes for Women of 22 November concluded that nonetheless it had been a huge success. A year later, it inspired the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies to organise the great Pilgrimage of April 1913, which encouraged women from all corners of the country to march and converge on London. Our commemorative medal would appear to be a particularly rare survival, and we have not traced another at auction. According to Leah Leneman in A Guid Cause, The Women's Suffrage Movement in Scotland, only the six women who completed the full 400 miles were awarded a medal (Leneman, p.122). That given to Nannie (Agnes Henderson) Brown (1866-1943), similarly inscribed with her initials, is held in the National Museums of Scotland collection. Whilst the initials 'M.S.' do not fit those of five of the original marchers (Florence de Fonblanque, Agnes Brown, Isabel Crowe, Anna Munro and Sarah Benett), there is one other marcher who, tantalisingly, has eluded identification. In the absence of that name it is tempting to suggest that the initials belong to Florence de Fonblanque's sister and active suffragette, Maud Arncliffe Sennett (1862-1936), who co-ordinated the arrival of the women into London and chaired the welcome meeting. The maker was Daniel George Collins, a silversmith, goldsmith and medallist, based in 118 Newgate Street, London, E.C., a company established in 1891 and specialising in a wide array of medals and medallions, from sporting and agricultural medals, to school and scout medals and theatre tickets. Our design appears to be a standard fob template which would have been engraved to the customer's requirements, suitable for a small order, rather than a specially custom-made design, such as the military-style hunger strike medals by Toye & Co. which were presented by the WSPU from 1909. Provenance: Private collection, U.K. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing