The Attenborough family, including Mary Attenborough and her three sons, Richard, David and John, lived at University College Leicester between 1932 and 1951 when Frederick Attenborough served as its second Principal. I recently curated an exhibition on their time at…
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CfP: Workshop: ‘Labour Pains: Mothers and Motherhood on the Left in the Twentieth Century’
November 17th 2023, Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London RHS Transactions Workshop British left-wing politics does not know what to think about mothers. On the one hand, motherhood has often been praised and celebrated. In left-wing women’s movements,…
Miss Mary MacMahon and the Making of a Professional Network of Mobile Businesswomen in Early 20th Century Canada – Kirsten Widdes
Advertisements, such as this one, were placed in trade journals and emphasized the importance of properly trained, competent typists, highlighting both commercial training and the effectiveness of the United Typewriter Co.’s Employment Department. Born in Hamilton Ontario Canada on September…
Kay Midwinter: first female Clerk in the House of Commons – Mari Takayanagi
In this blog Mari Takayanagi and Elizabeth Hallam Smith preview the story of Kay Midwinter, one of the pioneering women staff in Parliament featured in their new book, Necessary Women: the Untold Story of Parliament’s Working Women. In the public…
Textile Designing for the Festival of Britain 1924-2020 – Esther Dobson
When you hear the term ‘Mid-century design’ it may conjure images of Le Corbusier’s Brutalist architecture, Marcel Breuer’s ‘Wassily’ chair, or George Nelson’s clocks, but why do we often hear less about the women of this period? In stark comparison…
CONFERENCE REPORT: Gender and Political Groups In Britain c.1650-1950 – University of Northampton – 19th May 2023 – Kathrina Perry and Kerry Love
A conference on Gender and Political Groups In Britain c. 1650 -1950 was organised by our Blog Editor, Kathrina Perry along with her PGR colleague, Kerry Love and was held at the University of Northampton on May 19th 2023. The…
Women’s History Network Independent Researcher Grants for 2023/24
The Women’s History Network is offering a small grant of up to £750 to support the direct costs of those researching women’s history outside of academia. While applicants may be in possession of a degree or postgraduate qualification, the grants…
Queen Victoria’s Treescapes – Sarah Shields
In 2019 BBC News reported that while on an official engagement in Cambridge, the then 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had told onlookers that she was ‘still perfectly capable of planting a tree.[1] The planting of a tree is perhaps one…
Women’s History Network Early Career Fellowships for 2023 – 2024
The Women’s History Network is offering Fellowships of £1,500 to support Early Career Researchers of women’s or gender history in the coming academic year. Each Fellowship is designed to provide financial support to those who have completed their doctorate but are yet…




