Women in Tower Hamlets

Women have made important historical contributions to the development of Tower Hamlets and our wider society. Our collections cover famous women with links to the borough. There are records to less well-known individuals who have also been instrumental.

The archive, image and library collections include the following themes:

Politics. This includes local and national government and the Poplar Rates Rebellion
Feminism and Women’s rights. Including the Suffrage Movement and Women’s Liberation Movement
Arts and entertainment
Health and welfare
Social reform, religion and philanthropy
LGBTQ+ pioneers and activists
Women in the workforce. Including education, the Matchgirls Strike of 1888, trade unions and industrial action
Women of colour

Searching our library collections

Explore our Subject and Classification Guides.

Useful library classification numbers covering women’s contributions to Tower Hamlets include:

100: Biographies
240: Religious societies
305.4: Women, social role and status
306: LGBTQ+ community
320: Politics, political parties and associations
320.6: Suffragettes, Women’s Liberation Movement
332: Employment
440: Bangladeshi community
490: African, African-Caribbean, and Vietnamese communities

Search the online catalogue using Classification numbers in the Class field.

Explore other user guides to help you research women active in the shaping the borough.

Politics

Eva Armsby (1905 – 1991)

Labour Councillor, first female Mayor of Tower Hamlets 1979-1980

LCX00102: cuttings and ephemera on biography

P08516: Councillor Eva Armsby, Mayor of Tower Hamlets wearing chain of office, 1979. Image

Lydia Dorothea Benoly (1887 – 1969)

Mayor of Bethnal Green 1933-34

P/BEN: Diaries and scrapbook including photographs kept while Mayor of Bethnal Green 1933-1934

L/THL/B/1/2/22: Letter to Miss G. R. Benoly relating to death of her sister L. D. Benoly, 1969

Nellie Frances Cressall (1882 – 1973)

First female Mayor of Poplar 1943-44, Labour Councillor imprisoned during 1922 Poplar Rates Dispute, working-class suffragette, co-founder of The East London Federation of Suffragettes

LC6511: Metropolitan Borough of Poplar presentation of the Honorary Freedom of the Borough to Councillor Nellie Frances Cressall in the Council Chamber Poplar Town Hall, Bow Road, 8 April 1959. Pamphlet

LCX00155: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

LCX00022: Cuttings and ephemera on feminism, women's suffrage, women's liberation movement

P16180: Poplar Rates Dispute (Mrs Cressall pictured in front). Image

P08837: Nellie Cressall, 1959. Image

IHT/p0248: Poplar Labour Party Women’s Section, outside the Old Town Hall Poplar, c. 1960s. Image

Annie Elboz (1899 – 1985)

Labour Councillor and Mayor of Stepney, 1960-61

L/THL/H/1/4/9: Annie Elboz exhibition file, 1985
LC6543: Memorial service, 1985. Pamphlet
P08913: Print, 1972

P19874: Mass X-ray campaign, Toynbee Hall, Stepney. Mayor Mrs Annie Elboz in X-ray machine with nurse and onlookers. Image
LCX00178: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Minnie Lansbury [née Glassman] (1889 – 1922)

Alderman, Poplar Council, Participant in Poplar Rates Rebellion, Suffragette, Chairperson ELFS

Minnie developed pneumonia while in Holloway Prison. She died on 1 January 1922.

LC14854: Minnie Lansbury: Suffragette, Socialist, Rebel Councillor by Janine Booth. Book
LCX00226: Lansbury, George, folder 5, Lansbury family. Cuttings and ephemera on biography
WW/56: Funeral of Minnie Lansbury, 4 January 1922. Image
P16183: Poplar Rates Dispute: Alderman Mrs Minnie Lansbury (near officer in uniform) arriving at the Town Hall, 1921. Image
LC14425: Elsie Lagsding oral history transcript. Elsie Lagsding lived in Poplar and was a Suffragette. Transcript describes her early life and jobs, as well as meeting Sylvia Pankhurst, attending demonstrations and being arrested. It also includes working at The Cost Price Restaurant, selling the Dreadnought paper, and arguing with Minnie Lansbury over the conditions in the restaurant.

(Arabella) Susan Lawrence (1871 – 1947)

Politician, the first woman elected to represent a London constituency in 1923, participant in Poplar Rates Rebellion.

LC8841: Audit (Local Authorities) bill. Debate in the House of Commons in which George Lansbury, Sam March, John Scurr and Susan Lawrence took part, 13 December 1927. Pamphlet
P09214: Drawing of Susan Lawrence, undated
LCX00022: Cuttings and ephemera on feminism, women's suffrage, women's liberation movement

LCX00241: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Eleanor Marx – Aveling (1855 – 1898)

Socialist activist, translator of Das Kapital, co-founder of The Socialist League, supporter of Match Girl Strike*

LC10958: Eleanor Marx: A Life by Rachel Holmes. Book
L5986: Eleanor Marx. Vol. II: The crowded years (1884-1898) / Yvonne Kapp. Book
LC1683: Clara Collet, 1860-1948: An educated working woman by Deborah McDonald. Book

Julia Scurr (née Sullivan) (1871 – 1927)

Labour Councillor, participant in 1921 Poplar Rates Rebellion, member of the East London Federation of Suffragettes and founder member of the United Suffragists

LCX00291: Scurr, John and Julia: Cuttings and ephemera on biography
LCX00022: Folder 2, 1952-2010: Cuttings and ephemera on feminism, women's suffrage, women's liberation movement. Article commemorating the arrest of Nellie Cressall, Minnie Lansbury, Susan Lawrence, Jennie Mackay and Julia Scurr on 5 September 1921

IHT/p0074: Alderman Susan Lawrence, Councillor Julia Scurr and Councillor Jennie Mackay at the time of Poplar Council’s Revolt, 1921. Image

P16174: Poplar Rates Dispute: Alderman John and Councillor Julia Scurr, 1921. Image

Beatrice Tate (1896 – 1969)

Borough Councillor, Mayor of Bethnal Green 1952-53

LCX00315: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

P09535 - P09538: Images, 1952 and 1963

The Poplar Rates Rebellion, 1921

30 Labour councillors were jailed in a protest over the iniquity of the system of poor law rates in 1921. The 30 included five women councillors.

L/PMB/A/1/21–22: The full Council minutes of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar covering 1921 document these events

LC2100: Guilty and Proud of It! Poplar's rebel councillors and guardians, 1919-25 by Janine Booth

W/PMC/6/3/4: 'Souvenir of Poplar's Plucky Council: in prison for protecting the local ratepayer, September 1921'. Mail card
P/LAN/4: Photograph album of Edgar Lansbury. Contains 46 photographs of the Poplar Rates Dispute. Also at rear pamphlet ‘The Rate Protest of Poplar’

Feminism and Women's Rights

Elizabeth “Bessie” Lansbury [née Brine] (1860 – 1933)

Suffragette, wife of George Lansbury

WW/684, P09162, P09193. Images

See also biographies of George Lansbury, Class 100

(Estelle) Sylvia Pankhurst (1882 – 1960)

Suffragette, Political activist, anti-fascist, supporter of international auxiliary language

LC14424: The Suffragette: The History of the Women's Militant Suffrage Movement: 1905-1910 by E. Sylvia Pankhurst. Book. Library's copy signed by the author

LC14644: Writ on Cold Slate by Sylvia Pankhurst. Pamphlet

LC15131: Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel by Rachel Holmes. Book

LC15106: Sylvia Pankhurst and the Irish Revolution [electronic resource]: the little-known story of her engagement with Ireland by Geoffrey Bell. Pamphlet

LCX00021: Pankhurst, Sylvia. Cuttings and ephemera, including access copy of the original letter (S/PSC/1) written by Pankhurst to the Poplar War Savings Local Central Committee, 1917

LC14543: Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible. DVD, 2011

LCF00840: The Pankhurst Sisters after 1914 by Teresa Lucas. Book

NS: Norah Smyth's Photographs of the East London Suffragettes. Collection of digital copies of original photographs (c1912-1917). These document the activities of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes. Explore reference copies in the Reading Room. See also photographs under Classmarks 100, 300, 320.6

See also:

LC14686: The Woman's Hall Dreadnought, 2018
- Produced by The Women's Hall, celebrating the East London Suffragettes. A free newspaper produced by volunteers working on The Women's Hall project, a partnership of Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, Four Corners, The East End Women's Museum, Alternative Arts, and Numbi Arts, and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
LCP00391: The Woman's Dreadnought: volume I, 1914-15 and LCP00392: The Woman's Dreadnought volume II, 1915-16
- Published by the Workers' Suffrage Federation. Also available on microfilm
NS: Norah Smyth's Photographs of the East London Suffragettes
- Digital copies of original photographs (c1912-1917). These document the activities of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes. Explore reference copies in the Reading Room

LC14964: Deeds Not Words: The story of women's rights, then and now by Helen Pankhurst. Book

L8621: Women's Studies International Forum
- Issue dedicated to: "The Fawcett Library: Britain's major research resource on women past and present": 12 essays

LC7472: Women in revolt: the fight for emancipation: [study pack] compiled by Judith Kazantzis Resource pack consisting of facsimiles and broadsheets

LP4350: Feminist history in the East End: a walk by Clare Manifold, 1979. Pamphlet.
- Route for women's history walk, 29 July 1979 starting at Crown Gates East Victoria Park. Includes maps and illustrations

LC15121: Women activists of East London : radical women in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest 1880-present. Second edition, 2019. Book
Elizabeth “Bessie” Lansbury [née Brine] (1860 – 1933)

Suffragette, wife of George Lansbury
- WW/684, P09162, P09193. Images
- See also biographies of George Lansbury, Class 100
(Estelle) Sylvia Pankhurst (1882 – 1960)

Suffragette, Political activist, anti-fascist, supporter of international auxiliary language
- LC14424: The Suffragette: The History of the Women's Militant Suffrage Movement: 1905-1910 by E. Sylvia Pankhurst. Book. Library's copy signed by the author
- LC14644: Writ on Cold Slate by Sylvia Pankhurst. Pamphlet
- LC15131: Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel by Rachel Holmes. Book
- LC15106: Sylvia Pankhurst and the Irish Revolution [electronic resource]: the little-known story of her engagement with Ireland by Geoffrey Bell. Pamphlet
- LCX00021: Pankhurst, Sylvia. Cuttings and ephemera, including access copy of the original letter (S/PSC/1) written by Pankhurst to the Poplar War Savings Local Central Committee, 1917
- LC14543: Sylvia Pankhurst: Everything is Possible. DVD, 2011
- LCF00840: The Pankhurst Sisters after 1914 by Teresa Lucas. Book
- NS: Norah Smyth's Photographs of the East London Suffragettes. Collection of digital copies of original photographs (c1912-1917). These document the activities of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes. Explore reference copies in the Reading Room. See also photographs under Classmarks 100, 300, 320.6
See also:
- LC14686: The Woman's Hall Dreadnought, 2018
  - Produced by The Women's Hall, celebrating the East London Suffragettes. A free newspaper produced by volunteers working on The Women's Hall project, a partnership of Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, Four Corners, The East End Women's Museum, Alternative Arts, and Numbi Arts, and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
- LCP00391: The Woman's Dreadnought: volume I, 1914-15 and LCP00392: The Woman's Dreadnought volume II, 1915-16
  - Published by the Workers' Suffrage Federation. Also available on microfilm
- NS: Norah Smyth's Photographs of the East London Suffragettes
  - Digital copies of original photographs (c1912-1917). These document the activities of the East London Federation of the Suffragettes. Explore reference copies in the Reading Room
- LC14964: Deeds Not Words: The story of women's rights, then and now by Helen Pankhurst. Book
- L8621: Women's Studies International Forum
  - Issue dedicated to: "The Fawcett Library: Britain's major research resource on women past and present": 12 essays
- LC7472: Women in revolt: the fight for emancipation: [study pack] compiled by Judith Kazantzis Resource pack consisting of facsimiles and broadsheets
- LP4350: Feminist history in the East End: a walk by Clare Manifold, 1979. Pamphlet.
  - Route for women's history walk, 29 July 1979 starting at Crown Gates East Victoria Park. Includes maps and illustrations
- LC15121: Women activists of East London : radical women in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Waltham Forest 1880-present. Second edition, 2019. Book

Arts and Entertainment

Mabel Lucie Attwell (1879 – 1964)

Illustrator, born in Mile End

LCF00626: The collectable world of Mabel Lucie Attwell by John Henty. Book
L7835: Grimm's fairy tales pictured by Mabel Lucie Attwell. Book

The Beverley Sisters

Popular singing and light entertainment group of the 1950s, Bethnal Green

P08647, P08646: Publicity shots, 1950s
LCX10211: Cuttings and ephemera on council variety shows and concerts

Georgia Brown (Lilian Claire Klot) (1933-1992)

Singer, actress

LCX00137: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Tina Charles

Pop singer, Whitechapel

LC15642: “I Love to Love (But My Baby Just Loves to Dance)”. Sheet music, 1975
LCX10177, LCX10179: Cuttings and ephemera on music
LCX00145: Chamberlain-Clapham: cuttings and ephemera on biography

Alma Cogan

Popular British singer of the 1950s (Whitechapel)

LC15659: Alma Cogan: A Memoir by Sandra Caron. Book, 1991

Maxine Daniels (Gladys Lynch)

Jazz Singer in The Humphrey Lyttleton band, sister of entertainer Kenny Lynch

LCX00163: Custard-Daniels: Cuttings and ephemera on biography.
P50127: Black and white printed promotional poster for the Maxine Daniels single 'When it's springtime in the Rockies' / 'My Summer Heart'

Doreen Fletcher (b. 1952)

Painter and teacher

LC14340: Lost Time: the paintings of Doreen Fletcher and London's East End / Fiona Atkins. Pamphlet
LC14810: Doreen Fletcher, paintings edited by The Gentle Author. Book
LC14626: East End vernacular: artists who painted London's East End streets in the 20th century edited by The Gentle Author. Book
L/THL/H/1/9/34: Twilight in Turner's Road, by Doreen Fletcher, photograph.
View an original example of her work in our Paintings collection on the Art UK website

Anna Maria Garthwaite (1690 – 1763)

Silk designer

LC182: Silk designs of the eighteenth century: from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Book. Includes brief biography

Lady Rose Louise Henriques (1890 – 1973)

Artist, Community worker and philanthropist

P09017: Image

L2420: The Approach to Club Music: Suggestions for the use of club workers with little musical training by Rose L. Henriques. Book

LC6565: In memoriam Rose Louise Henriques C.B.E. 17-8-1889 - 21-12-1972

LC11362: Stepney in War and Peace: Paintings and sketches by Rose L. Henriques. Pamphlet

LC11125: Vanishing Stepney: an exhibition of paintings by Rose L. Henriques from 1935-1960 of scenes in the Borough of Stepney during the past fifty years. Pamphlet

L1661: 50 years in Stepney by Rose L. Henriques. Pamphlet

View original examples of her work in our Paintings collection on the Art UK website

TH/9883: Box 1/File 1: Leon Rogers’ correspondence with Henriques, 1950s-1960s. Rogers was Jewish boys’ clubs warden, Oxford and St. George's Clubs, Bernhard Baron Settlement, 33 Henriques Street, Whitechapel. These records are currently uncatalogued. Contact Archives Manager for details on future public access

Ada Reeve [Adelaide Mary Isaacs] (1874 – 1966)

Musical comedy actress

LCX00277: Cuttings and ephemera on biography
P50092, P50093, P50094: Commercially sold studio portraits of Stepney music hall star Ada Reeve.

Helen Shapiro

1960s Singer

LCX00293: Sexton-Sheppard: Cuttings and ephemera on biography.
LC5892: London history: 100 Faces of the East End by John Rennie. Book, 2011.
P50123: colourised ‘autographed’ postcard, c. 1962
LC15618: “Walkin' Back to Happiness”. 1961, sheet music
LC15530: Walking Back to Happiness: My Story by Helen Shapiro with Wendy Green, with a foreword by Cliff Richard. 1993, Book

Ella Shields (Ella Catherine Buscher)

Music Hall artiste

LC15615: “Burlington Bertie from Bow”. 1915, Sheet music
LCX10178: Cuttings and ephemera on songs with local settings, street songs and cries

The Stepney Sisters

Feminist Rock band of the 1970s

LC15373: The Stepney Sisters by Nony Ardill - history of the band by the guitarist. PDF 2011
LCS213: Stepney Sisters album, mp3 files, 2021
P50095, P50096, P50101: Black and white photographs of the band
LCP00441: Spare Rib magazine cover story about the band. Pamphlet, 1972
LC15404: Hail Sisters of the Revolution by Caroline Gilfillan - poems and Andrew Scott - photographs. Includes history of the band. Book, 2022

Elsie Waters OBE (1896 – 1990) and Doris Waters OBE (c.1900 – 1978)

Stars of Stage, Film and Radio

LCX00325: Cuttings and ephemera on biography
WW/339: Borough of Poplar Mobile Canteen, Presented to Poplar by Elsie and Doris Waters, October 1941. Image

Queenie Watts [Mary Spenton] (1923 – 1980)

Actress, singer, landlady of The Iron Bridge Tavern, Poplar

LCX00326: Cuttings and ephemera on biography, 1965-1980
IHT/p0278: Strattondale Street. Image
- 1935 Jubilee party in Strattondale Street, outside the house of Mrs Spenton (Queenie’s mother)

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836 – 1913)

Physician

LC6444: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and her time in Stepney. Pamphlet

LCX00101: cuttings and ephemera on biography

L3606: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson by Jo Manton. Book

LC43: Inside the citadel: Men and the emancipation of women, 1850-1920 by Richard Symonds Includes material on Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, George Lansbury, William and Catherine Booth. Book
LC1193: Enterprising Women: The Garretts and their circle by Elizabeth Crawford. Book

Edith Cavell (1865 – 1915)

Nurse, war hero during the First World War

L2901: Edith Cavell by Rowland Ryder. Book

LC6495: Edith Cavell: Her Life and her Art = Sa vie et son art. Book

LC14005: Edith Cavell: Faith before the firing squad by Catherine Butcher. Book

LCX00142 and LCX00344: cuttings and ephemera on biography

P08750: Image, 1899. Explore Class 100 for other images

Eva Luckes CBE (1855 – 1919)

Matron, The London Hospital

LC6636: Eva C.E. Luckes Matron: The London Hospital 1880-1919. Pamphlet

LC15033: General nursing by Eva C. Luckes. Book

L6722: Lectures on general nursing : delivered to the probationers of the London Hospital Training School for Nurses by Eva C.E. Luckes. Book

P09240: Black and white print, 1910

Annie McPherson (1824 – 1904)

Founder, The Home of Industry and Bethnal Green Medical Mission

LC11: Annie McPherson Home of Industry in Hackney: no's 2 and 4 Martello Street, E8 by W.E. Hall. A collection of extracts regarding the Home of Industry, Annie McPherson herself, and the Bethnal Green Medical Mission. Pamphlet

LC10125: A Mine for Silver. A history of Bethnal Green Medical Mission. Pamphlet

LC10112: A Clean Thing out of an Unclean: a short history of the Bethnal Green Medical Mission 1866-1966. Pamphlet

See also:

LC9658: Sisters of the East End: The real stories of the sisters who inspired Call the Midwife by Helen Batten and the sisters of the Community of St John the Divine

LC14799: Nursing through the years: Care and Compassion at the Royal London Hospital by Loretta Bellman

L7420: Working-class wives: their health and condition by Margery Spring Rice
B/MIS/46: Account book of Millicent Francis, Midwife (1795-1879)
- Case book of a midwife operating in Bethnal Green between 1850-1851 and 1861-1875

Social reform, Education, Religion and Philanthropy

Henrietta Octavia Barnett (1851 – 1936)

Social reformer, educationalist, co-founder of Toynbee Hall, 1884

L2375: Matters that matter by Dame Henrietta Barnett, D.B.E. Book

L2376: Practical socialism: essays on social reform by Samuel and Henrietta Barnett. Book

P08606: Mrs Barnett at the time of her marriage; book illustration, 1873

Catherine Booth (1829 – 1890)

Mother of the Salvation Army

L2855: William and Catherine Booth: God's soldiers by Jenty Fairbank. Child’s book

LC2109: Blood & fire: William and Catherine Booth and their Salvation Army by Roy Hattersley. Book

L1330: Catherine Booth: the story of her loves by Catherine Bramwell-Booth (granddaughter). Book

Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts (1814 – 1906)

Philanthropist, founder of Columbia Road Market and Victoria Park

L6587: Made of Gold: A biography of Angela Burdett Coutts by Diana Orton. Book

P23941: Angela Burdett-Coutts Memorial, Victoria Park, 1972. Image

LCX00138: cuttings and ephemera on biography

L1230: Letters from Charles Dickens to Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1841-1865 selected and edited from the collection in the Pierpont-Morgan Library. Book

L1268: Angela Burdett-Coutts and the Victorians by Clara Burdett Patterson. Book

LC7855: Palaces for the poor by J.E. Connor and B.J. Critchley. Unpublished manuscript, Chapter three Angela Burdett-Coutts and the Columbia Development in Bethnal Green

Prisca Coborn (1622 – 1701)

Founder, Coborn School, philanthropist

Buried at St Mary’s Stratford Bow. Her memorial is in the church

LC6503: Will and codicil of Mrs. Prisca Coborn

L/SGE/I/2/4: Applications for gifts to seamen's widows, 1860. Under the terms of her will, Prisca Coborn, widow of a wealthy brewer of Bow, established a charity to provide for the relief of poor seamen's widows in the parish of Stepney. These are the only surviving applications

L/SMS/F/1: Prisca Coborn Charity Trustees' Minutes, 1873 – 1958, 2 volumes

LC5897: Seven Parishioners of Stratford Bow by Michael Peet. Features biographical section

LCX00148: cuttings and ephemera on biography

Maria Elizabeth Dickin (1870 – 1951)

Founder of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA)

P08886: Black and white print

Phyllis Josephine Gerson MBE JP (1903 – 1990)

Social work administrator, magistrate

I/SJG: Records of Phyllis Gerson, relating to her work with the Stepney Jewish Girls Club and Settlement and the Alice Model Nursery. These records are currently uncatalogued, please contact Archives Manager for details on future public access

I/MOR/8/5: Meet Miss Gerson - an East End Settlement Warden, Newspaper article on Phyllis Gerson from the 'Hackney Gazette' 12 August 1966

P34300: Phyllis J. Gerson speaking at an annual history lecture in 1974. Image

LCX00189: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Clara E. Grant (1867 – 1949)

Teacher and founder, Fern Street Settlement

L7646: Farthing Bundles by Clara E. Grant. Book

LC8384: From 'Me' to 'We': (Forty years on Bow Common) by Clara E. Grant. Book

LC9147: Social Settlements: their place in the community by Clara E. Grant. Article in "Housewife" May 1945

LCX00191: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

P/THO/2/25: Letters from Clara Grant to W. B. Thorne and leaflet produced by Clara Grant relating to proportional representation, 1931

P/MIS/37/2: Letter from Harold Grant, of Frome, Somerset to Mrs. Edith Nash, 30 Jan 1966. He reminisces about his cousin Clara Grant

LC9136: Clara E. Grant's work and Clo' fund: annual reports, 1903-1907. Pamphlets

P/MIS/37/4: Studio portrait photograph

Mary Hughes (1860 – 1941)

Social worker and philanthropist

LC6587: Mary Hughes: A Friend to all in need by Hugh Pyper. Pamphlet

LC6589: Comrade Mary Hughes J.P. by Mary McKay. Pamphlet

L7043: Mary Hughes: Her life for the dispossessed by Rosa Hobhouse. Book

P/RAM/5/2: Edith Ramsay’s 'Papers about Mary Hughes'. Includes photographs, newspaper cuttings and other papers

LCX00200: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

P09053: Image

Baroness Emma Leijonhjelm (1847 – 1937)

Seamen’s friend

L4842: Down in Limehouse by Reverend George H. Mitchell. Book. Includes information about Madam Welin of the Scandinavian Sailors' Home and Baroness Leijonhjelm, pages 38-40

Muriel Lester (1886 – 1965) and Veronica Lester (1883 – 1968)

Founders of Kingsley Hall

I/MIS/13: Papers of Kingsley Hall and Children's House

LC6618: Tape recording made by Miss Muriel Lester who (with her sister Doris) founded Kingsley Hall, Bow, 1968. Typescript

LC356: Mother of World Peace: The life of Muriel Lester by Jill Wallis. Book

LC9151: Two sisters and the Cockney kids by Lylie Valentine. Book

LC9152: What is Kingsley Hall? by Muriel Lester. Pamphlet

LC9157: Just children by Veronica Doris Lester. Pamphlet

LCX00248: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

L104: My host the Hindu by Muriel Lester. Book
P09224: Black and white print, 1963

Margaret McMillan (1860 – 1931)

Educationalist

L8897: The open-air nursery school by Emma Stevinson. Book. Including an account of the work of Rachel and Margaret McMillan in the development of nursery education

LC7359: Slum Travellers: Ladies and London poverty, 1860-1920. Book

L574: Margaret McMillan: Prophet and Pioneer, her life and work by Albert Mansbridge. Book

LCX00254: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Alice Model (1856 – 1943)

Community worker

P/RAM/5/6: ‘Stepney History’ c. 1963-1977. Papers of Edith Ramsey, contains copy of "The story of the Alice Model Nursery, an extract from an essay on 'The work and life of the late Mrs. Alice Model' written by Esther Rantzen when aged 14 years"

LCX00260: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

P09297: Image

Also see I/SIG, Records of Phyllis Gerson, relating to her work with the Stepney Jewish Girls Club and Settlement and the Alice Model Nursery. These records are currently uncatalogued, please contact Archives Manager for details on future public access

LC12224: Alice Model Nursery: report, 1944

Miriam Moses OBE (1886 – 1965)

Community worker

LC15078: The life and times of Miriam Moses OBE JP. DVD

LC1084: The life and times of Miriam Moses, O.B.E. J.P., 1886-1965: an audio-visual documentary produced by the Springboard Education Trust: text of narration and back-up notes by Aumie Shapiro. Pamphlet

LCX00261: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

LC6666: Brady clubs and settlement order of service in memory of Miriam Moses, O.B.E., J.P. Pamphlet

S/BRA/6/2/1: Memorial Service of Miriam Moses, O.B.E., J.P. held on 6 July 1965. Correspondence and a copy of a speech

LP9534: This is your life, 15 December 1958, Television Theatre. Pamphlet. Programme featuring Miriam Moses

P09310: Image

Florence ‘Florrie’ Passman (1888 – 1986)

Youth worker

LCX00269: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Edith Ramsey MBE (1895 – 1983)

Educationalist and community worker

P/RAM: Papers of Edith Ramsay. These concern her assistance to individuals and families around immigrant and housing issues in Stepney and Whitechapel.
- Some files contain details of named persons. Redacted access copies are to be made soon. See ‘Women in the Local Community’ section for examples of available documents

LC6684: Transcript of tape recording made by Miss Edith Ramsay M.B.E. interviewed by Mr. A.H. French, 27th June 1978. Pamphlet

L8517: Edith and Stepney: The life of Edith Ramsay by Bertha Sokoloff. Book

LC6685: Christmas Letters 1974-1980 by Edith Ramsay. Pamphlet

LC6002: Life in Stepney / Edith Ramsay. Pamphlets covering 1920-1940

LCX00276: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

WG/3/1/46: Edith Ramsay and Sister Collette, Christchurch Garden Party, 1973. Photograph

Baroness Mary Ravensdale (1896 – 1966)

Social worker and philanthropist. Associated with the Highway Clubs in Shadwell from the early 1920s

L9121: In Many Rhythms: an autobiography by Baroness Mary Irene Ravensdale. Bound photocopy of book

See also:

LC7359: Slum Travellers: Ladies and London poverty, 1860-1920 edited with introductions by Ellen Ross
- Features Annie (Wood) Besant, Sylvia Pankhurst amongst others

LC7406: Social incidents in the life of an East End girl, 1898-1899
- Photocopy article from Girls own paper, 1898-1899 in four parts. Story or "report" of a wealthy woman's association with a woman named Belinda Ann from Bethnal Green

I/THI/A/2: Records of Olga Street Women's Institute, Bow, 1898-1940

W/SMH/A/15: Records of the Stepney Meeting House Women's' Sunday Union, 1891-1900
P/MIS/248: Free Pardon to Rose Amelia Vincent, 1902
- Rose Amelia Vincent was convicted of stealing at the Thames Police Court on 22 April 1902. She was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment. The pardon was granted by Sophie Lieck, barrister and President of the Women's branch of the Law Society

I/SMH/4/14: Report "St Margaret's House (Women's Branch of The Oxford House) 21 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, E2.", 1940.

LC6596: Between You and Me: Friendly talks for women's meetings and others, 1978 by Ivy Rawkins Jeffers, Minister of Bromley-by-Bow United Reformed Church for ten years until her retirement

LGBTQ+ Pioneers and activists

Mary East (1715 – 1780)

Female husband, pioneer

Dressed and lived as James How (also Howe, Howse, Howes or Hows) in the 18th century. A publican in Limehouse and Poplar, they served parish roles in the Hamlet of Poplar and Blackwall

LC6533: Mary East by G. H. Wilson. Book

L/ASP/A/1/2: Minute book contains brief references to James How, elected head-borough [parish constable] in 1744 and overseer of the poor in 1752

L/ASP/F/2/2: Churchwarden's and overseers' account book. On page 203: signature of James How, overseer of the poor in 1752. See also page 200

LC15120: Female Husbands: A Trans History by Jen Manion. Book

L75: Wonderful characters: Comprising memoirs and anecdotes of the most remarkable persons of every age and nation, collected from the most authentic sources by Henry Wilson. Book. Mary East, pages 276-281. Book

LCX00177: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Phoebe Hessel (c.1713 – 1821)

Female soldier

LC6562: Herstory: the life of Phoebe Hessel by Ruth Moorhouse and Chris Randall. Book

P09018 to P0902: Black and white prints of Phoebe Hessel

Hannah Snell (1723 – 1792)

Female soldier, LGBT pioneer

L75: Wonderful characters: Comprising memoirs and anecdotes of the most remarkable persons of every age and nation, collected from the most authentic sources by Henry Wilson. Book. Hannah Snell, pages 21-29

LCX00300: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

See also:

LC13700: The Radical Feminists and Bethnal Rouge, 2011. Pamphlet

LC6879: No bath but plenty of bubbles: An oral history of the Gay Liberation Front, 1970-73 by Lisa Power. Book

LC14356: Out in time: A lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history of the East End by Tower Hamlets and Lehman Brothers. Pamphlet

L1152: Noble work by noble women: Sketches of the lives of Baroness Burdett-Coutts, Lady Henry Somerset, Miss Sarah Robinson, Mrs. Fawcett, and Mrs. Gladstone by Jennie Chappell

LC13432: Sharing Tongues, published by rukus! Federation. Oral History interviews, Black British LGBT testimonies. Book and CD-ROM

Women in the Workplace

Annie Besant (1847 – 1933)

Socialist, women’s rights activist and trade unionist. Involved in Match Girls Strike 1888 and London Dock Strike 1889

L6091: An Autobiography, 1908. Book

L7052: The trial of Annie Besant and Charles Bradlaugh by Roger Manvel. Book

L/SMS/A/10/4: Correspondence from Annie Besant relating to the East London Working Women's Club, 193 Bow Road, 1890

LCX00122: cuttings and ephemera on biography

P15370: Group photograph of the strike committee of the Matchmakers' Union, 1888

P08643: Postcard portrait

Clara Collet (1860 – 1948)

Economist, statistician, and champion of women's employment

LC1683: Clara Collet, 1860-1948: an educated working woman by Deborah McDonald. Book

Kate Hall ( – 1918)

Museum curator. The first woman employed as curator in England. Appointed in 1893 until 1909 at Whitechapel Museum, later known as Stepney Borough Museum

Explore sources on St George’s Nature Study Museum which Kate Hall founded. These include Whitechapel District Board of Works and Metropolitan Borough of Stepney minutes and reports. Archive collection references L/WBW and L/SMB. Printed reports are in the Local History Library, Classes 352 and 354.

Marie Hilton (1821 – 1896)

Pioneer of the Creche. She opened the first in England in Stepney Causeway in 1871

L91: Marie Hilton: her life and work, 1821-1896 by J. Deane Hilton, her son. Book

Elizabeth Pepperell OBE (1914 – 1971)

Champion of working women

L5200: Elizabeth Pepperell: 21 June 1914 to 24 May 1971 by Maud D. Reed. Book

LCX00350: Cuttings and ephemera on collected biographies

See also:

I/CEC/3/1: "Women at Work", a collection of comments from people involved in a project whereby 15 female volunteers from all over the world came to live and work at the Families' Centre at Toynbee Hall, 22 Jul-5 Aug 1989.

L2125: Women on the Warpath: The story of the women of the First World War by David Mitchell

L2681: Women workers and the Industrial Revolution, 1750-1850 by Ivy Pinchbeck

L5988: Mary Macarthur: a biographical sketch / Mary Agnes Hamilton, 1925. Book
- Mary Macarthur lived for a short time, around 1906, in the East End, and was associated with J. J. Mallon in the formation of the Anti-Sweating League. They campaigned against poor conditions endured by workers in so-called sweatshops and called for a minimum wage

The Bryant and May Match Girls Strike of 1888

In July 1888, 1,400 women and girls employed by the matchmakers Bryant and May walked out of their London factory. Their strike was in response to poor working conditions which were causing illness and deaths. The Matchgirls Memorial website commemorates their contribution including Sarah Chapman, a strike committee leader. Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives hosted an exhibition, 'Sarah Chapman, Matchgirl', 2 March - 26 Apr 2019

Match girls strike register. Card index is in the Reading Room. Explore online versions on Union History and Find My Past

B/BRM: Records of Bryant and May Limited, match manufacturers of Bow, 1870s-1959. The main company archive, 1840-1978 is held at Hackney Archives, reference D/B/BRY

S/LAB/K/6/9: Material on the Match Girls Strike of 1888, 1970s

LC2076: Striking a Light: The Bryant and May Matchwomen and their place in labour history by Louise Raw

LC7944: The match girls strike, 1888 by Reg Beer

LCP00028: The Link: A Journal for The Servants of Man, 1888
- Edited by Annie Besant. See no. 21 (23 June 1888), page 2, for the article "White Slavery in London" on conditions in the Bryant and May factory and subsequent issues for reports on the Match Girls Strike of 1888

Women of Colour

Michaela Coel [Boakye-Collinson]

Actress, screenwriter, director, producer, poet, and singer

LC15274: Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela Coel. Book

Oona King

Politician, second black woman elected to Parliament, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Baroness King of Bow

LC663: "Scrutiny: The trouble I've seen" - BBC2, transmitted 20 Feb. 1999, 39 mins - "Labour MP, Oona King, examines race relations in contemporary Britain in a film combining archive material and personal recollections”. Video cassette

LC2044: House music: the Oona King diaries by Oona King. Book

LC2139: Millennium people: the soul of success. Photographs and text by Derek Burnett. Includes Oona King, MP Bethnal Green. Book

P/GOS/3: Digital copies of photographs of the unveiling of the Shaheed Minar at Altab Ai Park on 17 February 1999. Includes photographs of Humayun Rashid Choudhury, Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament, Cllr Denise Jones and Oona King. Digital images

LCX00217: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin of Bethnal Green

Community activist, Labour Councillor and life peer

LCX00310: Cuttings and ephemera on biography

S/LAB/G/2/6: Photographs of Councillors Albert Lilley, John Riley and Mrs Pola Manzilla Uddin, c. 1990

P/ULL/8/6: Photographs of celebrations held at Altab Ali Park, Whitechapel on 4 May 2010

Kathleen Wrsama (1904-1996)

Community organiser, co-founder of Stepney Coloured Peoples' Association and Somali Seaman’s Mission, Stepney

M/SCT/2: BBC documentary, 'Surviving: Experience of Migration and Exile'. Interview with Kathleen Wrasama on her experience of growing up in Britain. DVD

LC15285: Accounting for the Hostel for ‘Coloured Colonial Seamen’ in London's East End by S. A. Milne. Digital publication

P/RAM/3/1/15: File of Edith Ramsay relating to lodging house, mainly for Somalis. Contact staff for a redacted copy

See also oral history and wider collections:

O/WIB: Where I Belong: Black and Asian women's lives in Tower Hamlets. 13 oral histories

O/BEE: The Bengali East End. 11 oral histories from members of the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets, mainly during 1970s-1980s

S/ELC: Records of East London Asian Family Counselling, 1995-1997. Set up to provide counselling for Asian women and their families

M/SCT/4: Silent Tears. 1990 documentary by Tower Hamlets Health focussing on female circumcision. DVD

Bangladeshi Women

LC14698: Tower Hamlets Bangladeshi politicians reference book 1982-2018 by Mayar Akash

I/AVU/A/11/2: File on the Nari Samity (Women's Association) c.1984-1987

LC13307: Nari Sangram, bilingual and bimonthly progressive women's magazine, 1985-1986

LC6611: Women in transition: a study of the experiences of Bangladeshi women living in Tower Hamlets by Chris Phillipson, Nilufar Ahmed, Joanna Latimer. Book

I/SPP/3/3/3: Records of the Spitalfields Local Committee Women's Working Group, 1984-1986

LC15172: My Hair is Pink Under This Veil by Rabina Khan. Book. Memoir of Bethnal Green councillor who stood for mayor of Tower Hamlets

Black Women

LC15269: Women Doing it for Themselves: 1980s Community organisation amongst Black Women’s groups in Bethnal Green by Dr Elizabeth Cookingham Bailey. Digital publication

LC14894: Mother Country: Real stories of the Windrush children edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff

O/DJL: Don't just live, live to be remembered: The Somali East End. 18 oral histories from members of the Somali community that lived in the borough of Tower Hamlets

LC13807: Black Women's Health and Family Support annual report, 2001-2004

LC9940: London Black Women's Health Action Project newsletter, 1986-1988. Serial publication

LC15196: Before Windrush: West Indians in Britain by Asher and Martin Hoyles. Book. Including biographies on Caribbean women

Chinese Women

O/LLC/2: Patricia Eury. Legacy of Limehouse Chinatown: Tracing the histories of London's old Chinatown. Oral history

O/LLC/4: Connie Hoe. Legacy of Limehouse Chinatown: Tracing the histories of London's old Chinatown. Oral history

Explore also sources at The London Archives. Read their Chinese Historical research guide.

Women in the Local Community

Madge Darby (1927 – 2018)

Author, Historian of Wapping

Explore her published works in our collection, including

L8923: Waeppa's People: A History of Wapping
LC14603: Captain Bligh in Wapping, 1785-1790
LC5900: Piety and Piracy: The History of Wapping and St Katherine's

P/RAM: Papers of Edith Ramsay

Edith Ramsay’s papers, 1923-1980 are an invaluable source on the lives of working-class women in the borough during the mid-20^th century. They cover topics such as immigration, ‘vice in Stepney’, housing, adult education and local history. Some documents contain details of named persons. Redacted access copies are being made via a volunteer project.

Available documents include:

P/RAM/1/2: Papers on properties in Stepney, 1959-1963. Including correspondence on physical conditions and landlord and tenant relations

P/RAM/1/4/2: 'Wellclose Square Fund' paper by Edith Ramsay on the need for hostels in Stepney, 1959. Typescript

P/RAM/2/3/20: "Prostitution in the area of Commercial Road and Cable Street. E.1. Cafes - all night cafes and registered clubs", 1950s-1960s. Typescript

P/RAM/2/3/35: Papers about a deputation of Stepney housewives to see women M.P.s at the House of Commons on 25 July 1957 about prostitution in Stepney

P/RAM/3/2/1: 'Hostels and Committee', 1942-1947. Concerning the provision of hostels for African seamen. Also relates to the wider immigrant population in Stepney

P/RAM/3/3/2: Hungarian refugees in Stepney, 1956-1957. Correspondence on English classes by the London County Council at St George-in-the-East and Myrdle Street Schools

P/RAM/4/11: Potted biographies of 12 persons attending a class at the Stepney Women's Institute

P/RAM/4/12: A women's evening institute; Heckford Street, Limehouse, 1938. Typescript of article extracted from The London Teacher, 25 Feb 1938

P/RAM/6/26: Homeless Poor, 1932-1967. Contains 'London Shelters' a list of charities providing casual lodging for women with babies or children

P/RAM/6/9: Notes on the area where children attending Harry Gosling School and Christ Church School live, c.1965. Describes conditions in Cable Street and Spitalfields

Other collections cover the lives of women in Tower Hamlets. Examples include:

LC14527: Island girls [c. 2015 videorecording] directed by Lucy Preston, edited by Mike Middleton, filmed by the girls of George Green's School.
- DVD. A short documentary that investigates generations of women who have grown up on the Isle of Dogs
LC10522: Women, women, women [1966 videorecording]: a series looking at women in Britain today, their lives and attitudes by Richard Marquand.
- DVD. Documentary about two young women aged 18 and 22 and their mother aged 42 and their grandmother all living in Bethnal Green
LC10516: Bred and born [1983 videorecording] by Joanna Davis and Mary Pat Leece.
- DVD. Features four generations of women in an East London family. They talk about their own experiences and close family ties. A women's group discuss their roles as mothers and daughters
L383: Rosie in Rachel by Rosie Loga. Book.
- The author, a resident of the Isle of Dogs, recalls her period as a patient in Rachel Ward, the psychiatric unit of the London Hospital in 1975
LC15277: Born to Campaign – The life story of Rita Weiss 1921-2011 edited by Claire Weiss

LC7475: Tower Hamlets Girls' Project report September 1984-July 1986
- Youth service for girls in Tower Hamlets provided by women workers

LC7663: Housing and information handbook for women in East London, 1987. Pamphlet

LC14905: The Five: The untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

P/NEW/1: Journal of Richard Newman of Mile End, 1780-1790. Includes references to his wife going out late, drunk and bringing back a man

P/FAI/3: Victorian scrapbook, 1844-1874 with artwork and poems showing interests of Elizabeth Fairbairns of Poplar

P/PIK: Papers of Miss Ivy M Pike of Mile End, 1940-1960s. A copy typist during the Second World War, her collection includes diaries and war poems

Explore local newspapers, magazines and newsletters. They offer a window into the lives of ordinary women of Tower Hamlets and changing attitudes towards them. They also include job adverts tailored towards women. View our list of titles

Women and property

Women who owned property can be researched through our deed collections dating back to the seventeenth century. See our title deeds user guide

Explore our guide on taxation records dating from the early twentieth century

Local Government records

These illustrate the council’s work around issues affecting the women in the borough. Explore the papers of committees dedicated to subjects including arts grants, industry, health, housing and employment. See our user guide on Local Government records

Other Women in Tower Hamlets

Kinsi Abdulleh

Artist and co-director of Numbi, a Somali-led, African-centred culture and heritage organisation

Rushanara Ali

Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010, Shadow Minister for International Development from 2010 - 2013, and Shadow Minister for Further Education from 2013 -2014

Ellen Aylward (1894 – 1988)

Labour Councillor

Cheryl Baker (Rita Maria Crudgington)

Singer and TV presenter

Apsana Begum

Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse since 2019

The Beverley Sisters (Joy, Teddie and Babs)

Popular singing group of the 1950s and 1960s, born in Bethnal Green

Dame Christian Colet (b. c.1466)

Mother of John Colet, scholar and preacher

Brenda M Collins (1946 – 1990)

Liberal Democrat councillor

Lillian Crook (1914 – 1986)

Labour Councillor

Clara Ely

Resident of Tower Hamlets, donated her photographs of street scenes, 1980s. Search ‘Ely’ in artist field on our online catalogue

Sybil Grenfell MVO CBE (1902 – 1990)

Social worker

Mary Eleanor Elizabeth James (1859 – 1943)

Social worker

Jennie Mackay

Participant in Poplar Rates rebellion. The first female member of what would become the National Union of General Municipal Workers (forerunner of the GMB union)

Jane Randolph (1720 – 1776)

Mother of United States President Thomas Jefferson

Anna Trapnel (c. 1642 – 1660)

Prophet, preacher, writer, born in Stepney

Queen Matilda (1080 – 1118)

Wife of Henry I. She ordered the building of the first arched bridge in England at Stratford-le-Bow (Bow Bridge) in 1110. This was after reportedly falling into the water whilst using the ford

Martha Beatrice Webb [nee Potter] (1855 – 1943)

Social reformer

Susannah Wesley (1669 – 1742)

Mother of John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism

Key resources held elsewhere

The Women’s Archive, Glasgow Women’s Library

https://womenslibrary.org.uk/about-us/our-projects/the-womens-archive/

Women’s Archive and Manuscripts, 1600 – present, British Library collections guide:

https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/womens-archives-and-manuscripts

The National Archives Women’s Histories – downloadable PDF resource:

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/womens-histories/

The Women’s Library, London School of Economics. The campaign for women’s rights and women’s equality from the beginnings of the suffrage movement to the present day

https://www.lse.ac.uk/library/collection-highlights/the-womens-library

The Feminist Library. A large collection of Women's Liberation Movement literature based in London

https://feministlibrary.co.uk/

Feminist and Women’s History collections, Bishopsgate Institute. The collections include ephemera from protests and campaigns, papers of pioneering individuals, and records of women’s organisations

https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/collections/feminist-and-womens-history