MARY RALEIGH RICHARDSON The suffragette arsonist who slashed the Rokeby Venus by Helena Wojtczak, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society This first book-length biography of the militant suffragette Mary Raleigh Richardson reveals for the first time her true identity, ancestry, childhood and education, as well as her surprising — and exciting — international travels before she became embroiled in the suffrage struggle. During her time as a militant Mary was arrested nine times. Prepared to die for the cause, she adopted the hunger strike each time she was imprisoned, and was forcibly fed countless times. Her hunger strike medal boasted more bars than that of any other suffragette — something of which she remained proud for the rest of her life. Her most infamous deed was to use a cheap meat cleaver to inflict several gashes into Velasquez’s Rokeby Venus, a world-famous and priceless painting. In a lesser-known and yet equally sensational attack she burned down a historic mansion near Hampton Court. During the war she continued to work for the vote, allying herself with both Sylvia Pankhurst's ELFS and the United Suffragists. Having joined the Labour Party she twice stood for Parliament, and in 1933 was briefly a member of Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. Finding it did not align with her values she returned to socialism for the rest of her life. In retirement she penned Laugh a Defiance, a memoir of her suffrage days. The work is essential reading for suffrage scholars and those keen to explore the lives of the individual personalities within the militant movement. ----------------- Excerpts from Amazon reviews "A fascinating insight into the life of Mary….a thoroughly good read with some great photos too…excellent." "A very readable biography... Richly researched, packed full of new information... an essential and important study. Highly recommended." "A real an eye-opener! ... The most shocking thing for me is that it turns out that Mary Richardson was not even her real name! Ms Wojtczak has combined a huge amount of cold factual info with an exceptionally well-written and entertaining narrative, making the book a joy to read... A wealth of press cuttings... show the enormous impact Richardson had in the newspapers. I did not realise that news reports of her suffragette antics appeared literally all over the English speaking world... Lots of debate about whether she was 'mad' or 'bad' and even Dame Nelly Melba weighed in on the issue and suggested putting Mary Richardson into an asylum! I can't recommend this book highly enough."

Published 2025 320 pages, format 156 x 234 Illustrations: 115 mono plus two colour plates Paperback ISBN 978 1904 109 600     ~     £12.50 Hardback ISBN 978 1904 109 655     ~     £25.00 Inclusive of UK postage and packing International shipping is £7.75. Please select from menu below. Books can be dedicated and signed by the author. Any queries? email us