Our patron Elizabeth Crawford, one of the foremost historians of the suffrage movement, recently sent us a photograph of Mary we hadn’t seen before. Elizabeth had found it in the newly digitised records of the Daily Mirror of 29th December 1910, published just days after Mary’s death. We were very excited. We only had 5 decent images of this very retiring woman to show to…
Following months of discussion, research and painstaking work in miniature, our wonderful sculptor Denise Dutton has completed the rough plaster line maquette of Mary. She is now in the process of preparing a resin copy and a mould for the final bronze. Denise has faced many challenges. She has had to work from only 5 photographs, some of which are of poor quality and none…
We are very grateful to local magazines The Post, Preston Pages and 7Directory. They have not only featured long articles about Mary and the Appeal, but have also made the campaign their cover story, using wonderful images of Mary and publicising the fact that the design and rough maquette (model) of the statue-to-be are now complete. We are especially grateful for the Editorial which read:…
Jenny Engledow is well known in Brighton as a human rights and peace campaigner. What is less well known is that she is an excellent seamstress and embroiderer and has made beautiful banners for a range of causes. Many local people will have seen the beautiful banner Jenny made to celebrate the 2018 Centenary of women’s partial achievement of the Vote. It was based on…
On Tuesday 23rd June 2020, on a lovely sunny day as lock-down was just beginning to ease, the new Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Councillor Alan Robins, in full mayoral robes, visited us at the Royal Pavilion Gardens near the entrance to the Museum. He was there to show his support for the proposed statue for Mary Clarke and was accompanied by the Mayoral Consort…
Introductory Note from Jean Calder This was the text of the Oration delivered at Mary Clarke’s Memorial meeting in Brighton. It is a heart-rending speech, made by Emmeline Pethick Lawrence, a woman who knew Mary well and who, with Emmeline Pankhurst, was one of the outstanding leaders of the suffrage movement. It identifies Mary as an influential and well-loved leader of the movement, while conveying anger,…
.Tickets are on sale for the Claire Martin and Liane Carroll Benefit Concert on 4th March at St George’s Church, Kemp Town in Brighton. “Double Standards – an evening of jazz and joy” in support of the Appeal, will start at 7.00pm and finish at 9.00pm, though the cash Bar will remain open and audience members are welcome to stay, make music and socialise. Doors…
Great news. Broadcaster, writer and activist Simon Fanshawe has agreed to join the Mary Clarke Statue Appeal’s group of Patrons. He has already proved himself worth his weight in gold by putting us in touch with Comedian Zoe Lyons and some other famous folk. There’s even a possibility Zoe Lyons may MC our benefit concert on the 4th March at St George’s Church. But more…
Mary Clarke was the first suffragette to give her life for women’s right to Vote but, there is no public memorial to her anywhere in the UK. Brighton, where she lived and worked, has few memorials for women and no statues other than of Queen Victoria. The Mary Clarke Statue Appeal was set up in late 2018 to fund a statue of Mary Clarke, as…