'Beautifully told, this book brings a fascinating and compelling story to a wider public. A "must read" for those interested in women's lives in the past.' - June Purvis, Professor (Emerita) of Women's and Gender History, University of Portsmouth, UK

'This important and absorbing book presents a unique history of Kitty Marshall. This is first-class history and a first-rate thriller.' - Professor Clive Bloom, author of A History of Britain's Fight for a Republic

Katherine 'Kitty' Marshall was destined to break with convention. Brought up in a socially active family, her inherent rebellious streak came into play in 1901, when she daringly divorced her husband and joined the newly founded Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), campaigning for women's suffrage.

In 1904, she married solicitor Arthur Willoughby Marshall and the couple soon became a powerhouse team in the movement: Arthur defending the suffragettes in court while Kitty, trained in jujitsu and a member of the WSPU's elite team 'the Bodyguard', helped her close friend Mrs Pankhurst evade the clutches of the authorities under the infamous Cat and Mouse Act. All the while, Kitty was under the watchful eye of the Metropolitan Police, and in particular Detective Inspector Ralph Kitchener, who frequently encountered the Marshalls in his work trailing the suffragette 'mice'.

Following events as they unfolded on both sides, Mrs Pankhurst's Bodyguard is a gripping account of Kitty and Arthur's incredible work and their fight for political equality.

How suffragette and jujitsu-trained bodyguard 'Kitty' Marshall helped fight for political equality, while shadowed by the government and police (the 'Cats')

About the Author
Dr Emelyne Godfrey studied the culture of self-defence in the Victorian and Edwardian eras and helped to popularise the subject of 'jujut-suffragettes' through articles for the TLS, BBC History Magazine and History Today, appearing on The One Show with Gyles Brandreth. She lectures widely and has previously written on crime and self-defence in Victorian literature for Palgrave Macmillan. She is chairman of the H.G. Wells Society and on the committee of the Metropolitan Police History Society. She lives in London.

Reviews

'Godfrey tells the story with a keen eye for historical context and an innate understanding of the world that Kitty, her fellow suffragettes and the police who sought them inhabited.' -- All About History

'...Kitty was an unstoppable force, yet she has been largely forgotten. Acquaint yourself with her story in this gripping read.' -- This England

Book Information
ISBN 9781803991757
Author Emelyne Godfrey
Format Hardback
Imprint The History Press Ltd
Publisher The History Press Ltd