More information : Please see source for details. (1)
HMP Manchester was built between 1864 and 1868 to the designs of Alfred Waterhouse. It was built for the hundred of Salford and was known as Salford Prison. By the 1880s the prison was called Strangeways, and by the 1990s it was referred to as Manchester Prison. The former male prison is a radial building with six wings and the former female prison is cruciform in plan. They are constructed in brick and have three stories and a basement. In 1890 a further 130 cells were created. The prison was badly damaged during a disturbance in April 1990. A massive programme of refurbishment and rebuilding was undertaken between 1990 and 1993. (2)
During the campaign for women's suffrage which began in 1905, around 1085 women served time for the cause in prisons such as Strangeways. They carried out acts of militancy such as arson and window-smashing to draw attention to the campaign which, along with mass demonstrations, could lead to their arrest.
Christabel Pankhurst was imprisoned in Strangeways in October 1905. She was greeted by fellow suffragettes outside the prison gates on her release before attending a celebratory meeting at the Free Trade Hall.
In July 1909, Marion Wallace-Dunlop was the first suffragette to carry out a hunger strike in protest for being sentenced to the second division of Holloway Prison, rather than the first where political prisoners were held. She was the first of many women to undertake hunger strikes in prisons around the country, some of whom were forcibly fed by prison officials. In April1913, what became known as the 'Cat and Mouse Act' was granted Royal Assent, enabling the Home Secretary to release a hunger-striker temporarily. The women were required to sign a form giving the date of their return to prison, however in reality very few attempts were made to re-arrest the 'mice'. Following the outbreak of the First World War, all suffragette prisoners were released, having been granted an amnesty by the government. (3)
Following her arrest for throwing stones at a car taking David Lloyd George to a meeting in Newcastle, Emily Davison was sentenced to one month's hard labour in Strangeways prison. She went on a hunger-strike and barricaded her door to prevent prison officials from force-feeding her. In response, a prison officer put a hose-pipe through her cell window and attempted to fill it with water. Before this could happen, however, the door was broken down. On 19th January 1910, Emily was awarded forty shillings in damages for the incident. (4)
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