The Splendid Mrs. McCheyne and the East London Federation of Suffragettes

For a brief time in her life Mrs. Rosaline McCheyne became one of the heroines of the East London Federation of Suffragettes. “The Splendid Mrs. McCheyne” tells the story of her involvement in the women’s suffrage movement and what she did in the years which followed. Drawing on the papers of Sylvia Pankhurst, an extensive interview with Rosaline’s descendant, Anne Padfield, and her own research into the history of East London, Jane McChrystal presents us with a portrait of a woman caught up in momentous events, who could all too easily have disappeared without a trace. “The Splendid Mrs. McCheyne” describes some of the key social and political changes which formed the backdrop to Rosaline’s life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, whose legacy lives on to this day. It includes a collection of articles about Rosaline’s life and work, showing family historians how potentially dry and dusty research material can be turned into a lively and engaging read.

The Splendid Mrs. McCheyne will appeal to readers with an interest in the history of the suffragettes and the east End of London in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.