Constance Lytton – författare

Lady Constance Bulwer-Lytton (1869-1923), granddaughter of writer Edward Bulwer Lytton, became a passionate and militant suffragette after visiting imprisoned activists in 1905. She was arrested twice in 1909, on one occasion for throwing stones at a ministerial car, but was soon released. In 1910, to test whether the treatment of women prisoners differed depending on their class, she created a working-class alter ego, Jane Warton, for a protest in Liverpool. Under that name she was imprisoned and participated in a hunger strike that led to her being force-fed eight times, permanently damaging her health. This account of her experiences, first published in 1914, is a moving insight into the experiences of women who risked their lives and endured great suffering to secure the right to vote. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=lyttco

First published in 1925, this selection of letters throws light upon the life and character of Constance Lytton (1869-1923), a brave and influential figure in the movement for women's suffrage. From an aristocratic background, she became a member of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1909, calling on the support of her many contacts. Among her achievements was the first-hand exposure of the poor treatment and force-feeding of working-class women on hunger strike in prison: she deliberately had herself arrested and imprisoned in disguise and under an alias. Compiled by her sister, Betty Balfour (1867-1942), these letters cover her adult life, mainly comprising correspondence from Lytton to close family members, interspersed with illustrations of her and her family. Despite omissions - particularly details relating to her personal relationships - this collection remains an important tribute to her life and to the history of suffrage and prison reform.