More Armstrongs, a cracker maker and a mysterious actress

​The next two names bring the total number of Armstrongs to four. Frustratingly it has not been possible to identify the next two with any certainty but their actions have been recorded in the hope that someone might be able to shed light on them and so that they are not forgotten.

Kathleen Armstrong was arrested on November 29th 1911 and sentenced to seven days imprisonment having refused to pay the alternative fine. Her crime was breaking a window at the Home Office, the cost of the damage was ten shillings. In court she stated firmly that she would do exactly the same again to protest against the Men’s Suffrage Bill which it was now clear would not extend the vote to women. Sadly in none of the reports is their sufficient information to learn anymore about Kathleen.

Norah Armstrong was arrested on November 24th 1910 and November 27th 1911. The first arrest was for window breaking for which was sentenced to fourteen days or 40 shillings fine. Like most she refused to pay the fine. Lauded in the Votes for Women Newspaper tickets were sold at a cost of 2 shillings and 6 pence for a celebration breakfast at the Criterion Restaurant on their release.
Following her arrest in November 1911 she was charged with throwing a stone at Messrs Pearson & Son along with Margaret Dickson. The two women stated that Norah cracked the pane with her throw and Margaret broke it. The damage was said to amount to £2. Norah was sentenced to ten days imprisonment because she had committed a previous offence or a 20 shilling fine with 10 shillings damages. Equitably  Margaret was fined in the same in damages but half the fine and three less days in prison.

​Mrs Arncliffe Sennett was arrested on March 21st 1907 and November 22nd 1911. Born Alice Maud Mary Sparagnapane, but known as Maud, in London in 1862 to Gaudente and Amelia she was one of three daughters. Her eldest sister died aged fourteen, the youngest sister, Florence, was also a campaigner for women’s suffrage. Her father was born in Switzerland and ran G Sparagnapane & Co retailers of ornamental confectionary and in time crackers. He died in 1877 and his wife continued to run the business.
Maud became an actress performing as Mary Kingsley. Aged only twenty four she received rave reviews for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth “her rendition of the part must at once be classed as unqualified success”.[1] She toured the country and Australia performing a wide variety of Shakespearean roles. On July 9th 1898 in London Maud married Henry Robert Sennett, one of the witnesses was Gerald du Maurier. The couple took over the running of her father’s business.
Maud joined the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. Involved in the organisation of the march from Hyde Park to the Strand in February 1907 which became known as the Mud March her company supplied red and white rosettes for the marchers to wear. She became a member of the WSPU and was arrested on March 21st 1907 for being part of the attempt to enter the House of Commons. At court she was bound over to keep the peace and fined £5.
Just over a year later she resigned from the WSPU and joined the Women’s Freedom League. She was elected in time to the National Executive but took a dim view of the leadership she saw writing that “Billington Greig was great …. and kept a grip of the machine … Mrs Despard, …. a sort of flaming torch that toured London and the country.” After two years Maud resigned but continued to be a member of the Actress Franchise League whose membership she seemed to find more to her taste. She also supported the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage helping to found one branch.
Maud often spoke out on the subject of women’s suffrage. At a meeting in Eastbourne she specifically questioned whether the Countess of Jersey, who had made it clear she would not attend had any idea how the poor lived. In reply the Countess of Jersey wrote to the papers defined her anti votes for women stance “We have already enough votes who are swayed by sentiment … Moreover, since there are more women than men in the United Kingdom, the result would be that the casting vote in government would rest with women, a climax which many of us would consider undesirable.”
In 1911 as part of the Actress Franchise League she was part of a deputation who visited Downing Street. One newspaper article attributed various stances to the women stating Maud tried “cajolery.” Not long afterwards she was arrested for a second time for breaking a window at a newspaper office. This time she was fined forty shillings. Maud responded by stating she would not pay and must therefore go to prison. As she was an employer people would, in consequence, lose their jobs and she would leave the country in protest at paying taxes when she could not vote.
During the First World War she campaigned for fair treatment of women and respect for soldiers’ wives continuing her support for women’s suffrage. In her later years she became a support of anti-vivisection. She died aged seventy four in Sussex.

Evelyn Arton was arrested on March 7th 1912 and March 27th 1912. The entry reads Evelyn B B Arton (Mrs) and it is believed that this is Eveleen Boyle Anna Arton nee McCarthy. Eveleen was born in Ireland in 1887 and married Frederick Richard Alston Arton in 1909. Eveleen and Frederick went into partnership together trading as film dealers and exporters.
She was arrested for window smashing along with Mrs Alice Green, the damage amounting to £150. Bail was refused and they were remanded in custody to await trial. What happened thereafter has not been traced. It appears that her marriage was short lived and certainly during October 1913 the partnership between them was dissolved. Two years later Eveleen went bankrupt. She continued to live in London dying in Wandsworth in 1970.

Lily Asquith was arrested on October 9th 1919, the record incorrectly stating the date which should read 1910. Lily along with Violet Bryant, Ellen Pitfield and Dorothy Shellard smashed windows, to bring attention to the cause during a visit to Newcastle by Lloyd George, at the Liberal Club. The cost of the damage being said to be in excess of £3. All four pleaded guilty and were imprisoned for fourteen days. They immediately started a hunger strike. The four were swiftly joined by other suffragettes amongst them Emily Davidson and Lady Constance Lytton who had thrown stones at the car of Sir Walter Runciman, a local Liberal politician. On their release they were admitted to a nursing home for rest. Interviewed by the press Lily stated she had been force fed by tube and by cup, tempting food had been placed in here sight and she was regularly informed that the others had abandoned their hunger strike.
Although an approximate year of birth has been located several persons of the same name were born around the same time and it is not been possible to narrow it down any further.

Selgarde Atheling was arrested in Liverpool on December 9th 1909 and December 12th 1911 in London. This is a name that perhaps not surprisingly does not appear anywhere. Researching newspapers for a report of the actions that led to the first arrest revealed that Selgarde Atheling is actually Lelgarde Acheling as discussed in an earlier blog. The date November 22nd 1911 should be added but the addition of December 12th 1911 is a clerical error as this was the date of the trial for the offence on November 22nd.
On December 9th 1909 Winston Churchill was in Liverpool and Lelgarde travelled there with Violet Jones to protest. Lelegarde smashed a window at the Reform Club with a stone around which was wrapped a piece of paper with the words “deeds not words”. She was sentenced to five days hard labour. Her next arrest on November 22nd 1911 was breaking three plate glass windows at the National Bank in the Strand. Again she was acting with Violet Jones. The damage was said to amount to £30. When they were searched more stones were found on them. They were committed for trial and released on bail provided by Mr Pethick Lawrence. At their trial in December they were found guilty and sentenced to two months imprisonment.

​Whilst this details her actions it does not shed any further light on Lelegarde herself.
 
Sources:
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/


[1] The Era June 5th 1886