Annie Kenney

Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie Baldock. Kenney attracted the attention of the press and public in 1905 when she and Christabel Pankhurst were imprisoned for several days for assault and obstruction related to the questioning of Sir Edward Grey at a Liberal rally in Manchester on the issue of votes for women. The incident is credited with inaugurating a new phase in the struggle for women's suffrage in the UK with the adoption of militant tactics. Annie had friendships with Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, Baroness Pethick-Lawrence, Mary Blathwayt, Clara Codd, Adela Pankhurst, and Christabel Pankhurst.

Early life

Kenney was born in 1879 in Springhead, West Yorkshire, to Horatio Nelson Kenney (1849–1912) and Anne Wood (1852–1905). She was the fourth daughter in a family of twelve children, eleven of whom survived infancy. There were six other sisters: Sarah (Nell), Alice, Caroline (Kitty), Jane (Jenny), and Jessie. Their parents were working class and worked in the textile industry. They encouraged reading, debating, and socialism. Three of the sisters became teachers, and a brother became a businessman. A brother, Rowland Kenney, became the first editor (in 1912) of the Daily Herald.

Annie started part-time work in a cotton mill at the age of 10, while also attending school. She began full-time work at 13, which involved 11.5-hour shifts from six in the morning. Employed as a weaver's assistant, or "tenter", part of her job was to fit the bobbins and attend to the strands of thread when they broke; during one such operation, one of her fingers was ripped off by a spinning bobbin. She remained at the mill for 15 years, was involved in trade-union activities, furthered her education through self-study and—inspired by Robert Blatchford's publication, The Clarion—promoted the study of literature among her colleagues. She was a regular church attender and sang in a local choir.

When her mother died in 1905, Kenney and six siblings remained with her father at 71 Redgrave Street, Oldham.