Stories from the collection
Discover the stories behind the collection. Learn about the people, places and events featured in our records.
Each collection insight takes an in-depth look into a group of the records we hold.
Disability History Month
Delve into the remarkable stories of disabled people across the centuries whose work and actions made history.
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The story of
Sir John Fielding
Sir John Fielding grew to become one of England’s first and greatest police detectives. And for his entire crime-fighting career, he was blind.
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The story of
Virginia Hall
Virginia Hall (1906–1982) was an American who served with the British Special Operations Executive in France in 1941–1942 and built a career in espionage.
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Record revealed
Printed circular produced by the National League of the Blind
In 1920, hundreds of members of the National League of the Blind (NLB) marched 200 miles to campaign for support. This printed circular explains what happened.
Discover all stories
Browse and explore the human stories behind The National Archives’ collection.
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Record revealed
Request for compensation for the Boston Tea Party
NewOn 16 December 1773, 340 chests of tea were thrown into Boston harbour by protesting colonists. This letter from the East India Company requests reimbursement.
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Record revealed
A recipe for six mince pies 'of an indifferent biggnesse'
NewThis 17th-century mince pie recipe contains spices, eggs and raisins, but also something slightly stranger.
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Focus on
Revealing the (corrupt) record in 14th-century Ireland
NewIn 1325, officials found suspicious mistakes in the account of the former treasurer of Ireland and hauled him through the courts. What did they uncover?
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Record revealed
The Churchill family's 'Blue Book'
This book caused confusion and disagreement among family members, but also provided an unusually intimate view of this well-known household.
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The story of
Thomas Cromwell
Through intrigue and ambition Thomas Cromwell rose to become one of Henry VIII's key advisors. What can records at The National Archives tell us about his life?
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Focus on
The Bethnal Green Tube shelter disaster
On one tragic night in March 1943 in Bethnal Green, East London, 173 people lost their lives taking shelter from German bombing as the air raid sirens sounded.
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Record revealed
Copy of Henry VIII's diplomatic assurances to João III of Portugal
Recently rediscovered, this letter offers new archival evidence into Britain and Portugal's shared history.
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Record revealed
List of HMS Victory's killed and wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar
We hold one of the lesser known records from the Battle of Trafalgar, the Surgeon’s journal for HMS Victory by William Beatty.
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The story of
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: a trailblazing composer
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) was a trailblazing British composer and conductor from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Record revealed
List of immigrant Londoners from 1483
This 15th-century list of ‘alien’ residents, gathered for tax purposes, gives us a remarkable insight into London’s medieval immigrant population.
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Record revealed
List of people summoned to the 1265 Parliament
This document records the first time that citizens outside of the elites were invited to join an English parliament – without being asked to support new taxes.
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Record revealed
Sarah Parker Remond’s application to become a British Citizen
Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894) fought for a more equal world as an abolitionist and suffrage supporter. Why and how did she apply for British citizenship?
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Battling ‘General Malaria’ on the Macedonian front, 1915–1919
Medical case sheets from the 28th General Hospital, Salonika, reveal an especially deadly peril on the front lines: malaria. How was it fought?
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Record revealed
A medieval Irish roll with hidden grievances
This roll provides a glimpse into how medieval Ireland was governed, but today plays a starring role in the development of scientific methodologies.
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Emily Capper and the 1934 Gresford Colliery disaster
Our records tell the story of Emily Capper's desperate campaign to recover the bodies of the victims, including that of her son.
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Record revealed
A dramatic plea for Churchill’s help from Bletchley Park
In 1941, four Government Code and Cypher School cryptanalysts, including Alan Turing, made a stunning appeal directly to Winston Churchill.
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The story of
Sir Ludwig Guttmann and the birth of the Paralympic Games
In the summer of 1948, neurologist Ludwig Guttmann set up a sporting competition between patients. It was the birth of the Paralympic Games.
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Record revealed
A misleading Victorian medical device
Unexpectedly surviving among some court papers, this medical belt was one of a number of Victorian devices that claimed to use the power of electricity to cure.
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'Can we be counted too?' Recognising LGBTQ+ lives in the 1991 census
Until 2021, the census did not ask for information about sexuality. One letter in our collection gives a personal perspective on why this data was needed.
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The Huey Fong: Hong Kong's 1979 refugee crisis
In December 1978, Vietnamese refugees seeking asylum aboard the Huey Fong were refused entry to Hong Kong. Records we hold document the 34-day standoff.
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The queer Victorian origins of the word 'camp'
Did you know that the word ‘camp’ was used by members of the LGBTQ+ community as early as 1868?
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The story of
Kumar Sri Ranjitsinhji
How did an Indian prince come to play at the highest level of England’s national sport?
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Record revealed
A letter from Gandhi's 'errand boy'
This letter is an example of those in our collection detailing Indian and Pakistani Independence, but from a lesser-known voice, Sudhir Ghosh.
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The story of
The double agent who hid D-Day from the Nazis: Elvira Chaudoir
A life of charm, high-stakes, and duplicity saw Elvira Chaudoir play a cunning role in the Allied victory at D-Day.
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Record revealed
Letter patent with the Great Seal of Ireland attached
This unexpected gem is a document granting land in Ireland to a John Farrell. Attached is the Great Seal of Ireland, indicating approval from King Charles II.
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The story of
The loss of SS Arandora Star
In July 1940 the Arandora Star was torpedoed by a German submarine. More than 800 people were killed, many of them Italian civilians being deported to Canada.
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The story of
Sophia Jex-Blake, pioneer of women's medicine
Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912) was a physician and campaigner who fought for women’s access to university education.
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The story of
Evelyn Dove
Singer and broadcaster Evelyn Dove (1902–1987) achieved a number of firsts including, in 1925, becoming the first woman of African heritage on BBC Radio.
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Record revealed
The Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
The first Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea was prompted by the sinking of RMS Titanic. Signed in 1914, it established international shipping standards.
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Record revealed
Police report on the disappearance of Agatha Christie
This letter details the circumstances of the strange disappearance of famous author Agatha Christie in 1926.
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The story of
Britain’s youngest prisoner of war: John Giles Hipkin
14-year-old cabin boy John Giles Hipkin became Britain's youngest Second World War prisoner of war in 1941 after he was captured at sea.
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Record revealed
An Elizabethan widow's will
This ordinary will from 1587 gives us a glimpse of an Elizabethan woman’s concerns on her deathbed.
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The story of
The 1888 matchgirls' strike
In 1888, the women and girls employed by Bryant & May in the East End of London went out on strike. Why did these workers feel so driven to remove their labour?
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Record revealed
An unusual royal gift to the poet Geoffrey Chaucer
How do you reward a medieval poet? This document granted the author of the Canterbury Tales an unusual royal gift: a daily allowance of wine.
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How the first women's refuge enacted change in the UK
The founding years of Chiswick Women’s Aid saw the opening of the world's first women's refuge, disputes with local government, and creating change in the UK.
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Record revealed
A letter from the most powerful woman in Tudor England: Margaret Beaufort
How did the founder of the Tudor dynasty reach and use her position of power?
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The story of
Roger Bushell and the 'Great Escape'
Roger Bushell (1910–1944) was a pilot, prisoner of war (POW), and mastermind of the ‘Great Escape’ from Stalag Luft III in March 1944.
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Record revealed
'Fallen' women of the real Albert Square
Who lived in the real Albert Square and what can their lives tell us about 19th-century London life?
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Record revealed
List of animals held in the ‘Bear Garden’ in Elizabethan Southwark
This deed reveals some of the animals kept to perform on the Tudor stage or in arenas. It includes ‘an old she bear called Nan’, some bulls, a horse and an ape.
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The East River Column: the rebels who helped Second World War prisoners of war
Discover how this guerrilla group played a significant role in opposing Japan and aiding Allied prisoners of war around Hong Kong.
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Record revealed
Virginia Woolf’s death duty record
Death duty records can reveal a great deal about a person’s true feelings. What can we learn about the loves and friendships of author Virginia Woolf from hers?
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The story of
Ravenser Odd
Ravenser Odd was a short-lived island in the mouth of the River Humber. It rose from the sea in the early 13th century and had sunk beneath the waves by 1360.
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Record revealed
Secret letter sent to British Secret Services
During the Second World War, some British prisoners of war were able to send secret messages and intelligence back home via creative and unusual ways.
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Record revealed
The Geneva Convention, 1949
This document sets out the laws its signatory nations agreed to follow around the treatment of prisoners of war, those in medical need, and civilians.
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The story of
Judy, the only dog registered as a prisoner of war
Judy's remarkable story is one of capture, survival and courage, and offers a unique tale of internment during the war.
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‘Not acceptable’: Gay Switchboard’s attempts to become a charity
LGBT+ Switchboard is one of the oldest telephone helplines supporting queer communities in the UK. Its journey to register as a charity was not easy.
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A queer working-class haven: Lady Malcolm’s Servants Balls
Lady Malcolm’s elaborate Servants’ Balls allowed queer, working-class staff to forge a unique space for themselves. But these events became plagued by scandal.
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The story of
Nancy Wake
Nancy Wake (1912–2011), an agent for the Special Operations Executive, was the most wanted woman in France during the Second World War.
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Record revealed
War diary from 1939 with posters and Christmas cards
War diaries were historical records created by units in the British Army during wartime. This one is unusual: it contains posters and Christmas cards.
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Record revealed
A medieval cold and flu remedy
Stale ale, ground nutmeg and mustard seeds – would you try these medieval cures for headaches and congestion? They give surprising insights into global trade.
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The story of
Sir John Fielding
Sir John Fielding grew to become one of England’s first and greatest police detectives. And for his entire crime-fighting career, he was blind.
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Record revealed
The WÃSÙ journal
WÃSÙ was the journal produced by the West African Students’ Union (WASU) and distributed across Europe and Africa from 1926.
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Focus on
Section 28: impact, fightback and repeal
What was the everyday reality for LGBTQ+ people in the 80s and 90s living under the infamous Section 28, and how was it eventually repealed?
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The story of
Virginia Hall
Virginia Hall (1906–1982) was an American who served with the British Special Operations Executive in France in 1941–1942 and built a career in espionage.
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Focus on
The origins of Section 28
Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act negatively affected LGBTQ+ lives for decades. How did such a seismic piece of legislation come about?
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Record revealed
The Treaty of Versailles
This debated document officially ended the First World War and set out the terms and conditions for peace, and determined the course of the 20th century.
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The story of
John Blanke
John Blanke was a trumpeter at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He is one of the earliest people of colour in England we have records about.
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Record revealed
James Callaghan's notes on policy ideas
These handwritten pages offer a window onto a Prime Minister’s thinking about the issues of the day. In 1978, they ranged from education to the environment.
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Record revealed
The Treason Act
The Treason Act defined the crime of ‘high treason’ in law for the first time. It is one of the oldest pieces of legislation still on the statute book today.
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The story of
Louise Bennett-Coverley
Described by the Birmingham Post as the ‘queen of Jamaican theatre’, Louise Bennett-Coverley (1919–2006) was a poet, performer, folklorist, writer and educator.
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The papers of Nuestra Señora de Covadonga, a Spanish treasure galleon
This previously unknown set of records from an 18th-century galleon shines a light on one of history's most significant trade routes.
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Record revealed
Sir Henry Cole’s rat
Our collection includes many weird and wonderful records – one of the weirdest is undoubtedly a small box containing the remains of two long-dead rats.
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Record revealed
Photographs of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Copyright photographs of composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor provide us with a unique insight into his status in early 20th-century British society.
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Record revealed
Photographs of the British Black Panthers headquarters
These photographs, captured through police investigations, give a unique insight into the heart of the early British Black Panther movement.
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The story of
Louis Wain
Artist and illustrator Louis Wain (1860–1939) achieved great fame for his whimsical drawings of cats, but his story is also a sad one of personal tragedy.
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Record revealed
John Blanke’s petition for a pay rise
This parchment records John Blanke, a Black Tudor in the royal court, asking King Henry VIII for a pay rise and a promotion in his role as a trumpeter.
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The story of
Robert Wedderburn
Robert Wedderburn (1762–1835) was a British-Jamaican radical preacher, abolitionist and writer.
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Record revealed
Angry letter sent during the ‘Bread or blood’ riots
This angry letter offers a rare view of the words of ordinary people at the time, threatening violence in response to falling living standards in rural England.
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Record revealed
Secret map of operations in North Burma
This map was provided to soldiers during the first operation by the Chindits, special forces serving in Japanese-occupied Burma during the Second World War.
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The story of
Sir Learie Constantine
Sir Learie Constantine (1901–1971) was a renowned cricketer, author, politician and persistent campaigner for racial equality and justice.
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The story of
The Imperial Typewriters dispute
The Imperial Typewriters dispute in Leicester saw over 500 workers, largely from South Asia, go on strike over discrimination in 1974.
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Record revealed
Registered design for an expanding travelling basket
In 1866, a British luggage manufacturer attempted to capitalise on the expansion of railway lines with a unique and royal travel bag.
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Record revealed
Copyright registration form for Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Irish author completed this form to register ownership of a play titled ‘Dracula; or the Un-Dead’, and thus his seminal novel. It would prove important.
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Record revealed
List of suffragettes arrested from 1906–1914
More than a thousand people who supported women’s right to vote were arrested for their activism. This document records them – and includes some famous names.
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Record revealed
Christine Granville’s application to become a British citizen
Christine Granville, Special Operations Executive agent extraordinaire, was Churchill’s favourite spy. How did this document possibly save her life?
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Record revealed
The Monteagle Letter
Is this the most famous anonymous letter in British history? Perhaps it should be. Without it, the Gunpowder Plot might have succeeded.
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Record revealed
Printed circular produced by the National League of the Blind
In 1920, hundreds of members of the National League of the Blind (NLB) marched 200 miles to campaign for support. This printed circular explains what happened.
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Record revealed
A letter by the women workers at Fords of Dagenham
A handwritten letter written by sewing machinists working at Dagenham car plant who famously went on strike for equal wages in the late 1960s.
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The story of
Ivor Cummings
Ivor Cummings (1913–1992) greeted the iconic arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in 1948. He became known as the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'.
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The story of
The foundation of the NHS
Explore the foundations of the NHS, one of Britain's most well-known and loved institutions.
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The story of
Ormonde, Almanzora and Windrush
Passenger lists for the ships that carried post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain can be crucial resources for people tracing their family history.
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The story of
Sophia Todd
Was a woman arrested for murder in Victorian Liverpool an unfortunate person caught up in a series of ill-fated events, or something much more sinister?
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The story of
Insaaf
Insaaf was a film made by the government, filmed partly in Urdu, to promote employment rights under the 1968 Race Relations Act.
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The story of
The Festival of Britain
The National Archives has a wealth of documents, photographs and art work collected during the planning and running of the influential 1951 Festival of Britain.
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The story of
Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Bondfield (1873–1953) was a trade unionist and Labour politician. In 1929 she became Britain’s first female cabinet minister.
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The story of
William Shakespeare
Through documents held in The National Archives, we can gain an incredible insight into the life of one of the world's most famous playwrights.
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The story of
Nancy Cunard
On the Windrush passenger list, white socialite Nancy Cunard (1896–1965) is described as a 'writer', but she was also a staunch activist for Black civil rights.
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The story of
The Caravan Club
The police raid on a secret queer nightclub in 1933 gives an insight into the lives of gay men in interwar London and their defiance in the face of persecution.
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The story of
Richard III
Through documents held at The National Archives, we can piece together a great deal about the life and reign one of Britain's most infamous medieval monarchs.
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The story of
Maud Allan
Maud Allan (1873–1956) was a celebrated West End dancer in the early 20th century until she became entangled in one of the most sensational trials of the 1920s.
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The story of
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) was a tireless political activist, who led the WSPU – the militant faction of the movement for women’s suffrage.
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The story of
Shapurji Saklatvala
One of the first MPs of Indian heritage, Shapurji Saklatvala (1874–1936) was an agitator for change, which led to his surveillance by the Security Service.
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The story of
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943) lived relatively openly as a lesbian in an era that condemned such relationships. Today she is an icon of LGBTQ+ literature.
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The story of
Alice Hawkins
Alice Hawkins (1863–1946) was a working class suffragette and trade unionist, who boldly campaigned for the rights of women.
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The story of
William Cuffey
William Cuffey (1788–1870) was a disabled, working-class campaigner. He was a leading figure in the Chartism movement, famed for his powerful oratory.
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The story of
The Mangrove Nine
The trial of nine black protestors who were arrested while demonstrating in Notting Hill in the early 1970s became a public platform to criticise police racism.