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Who was Emily Davison and why are people encouraging you to vote in her name?

She was a prominent suffragette.
She was a prominent suffragette. She was a prominent suffragette.

104 years ago to this day Emily Davison died, and there’s a poignant reason why people are using her name to encourage you to head to the polls.

Davison was a prominent suffragette who died in 1913 after she threw herself in front of King George V’s horse at the Epsom Derby. It is thought that she was waving a scarf with the suffragettes’ logo when she ran into the path of the horse.

She died in hospital four days later after suffering a fractured skull and internal bleeding.

Davison
Davison
Davison’s funeral procession (PA)

This was during a time that the suffragette movement was becoming more radical in their efforts to further the cause, including arson attacks and bombings.

It’s not entirely clear whether Davison threw herself under the horse to martyr herself for the cause or if it was instead meant to be a stunt.

Because today is the anniversary of her death, people are using it as a reminder to go out and vote.

Davison seems to have inspired many people to head to the polls.

In 1918 women who were over 30 and met the property requirements were given the vote, and it was only in 1928 that women were given the right to vote on the same terms as men.