Brooch

Silver brooch in the shape of a toffee hammer with the inscription 'Votes for Women'. Toffee hammers were the weapon of choice for many Suffragettes who participated in window smashing. The smashing of windows of the windows of public and government buildings, businesses and shops was a key tactic of the Women's Social & Political Union to bring public attention to their cause. In March 1912 the tactic escalated and over 300 Suffragettes were arrested for window smashing offences. Many Suffragettes who participated in window smashing commemorated their militancy by wearing hammer brooches. There were two different types of such brooches produced. One with the words 'March 1912' inscribed on the hammer head was intended specifically for those arrested during that month. This example, gifted to the museum in 1950 as part of the Suffragette Fellowship collection is quite different and is less refined than the silver March 1912 brooch. It is likely to have been a cheaper version and may have been produced by a commercial manufacturer. The brooch was previously attached to a purple, white and green WSPU sash gifted to the Suffragette Fellowship by the militant Suffragette Agnes Kelly. In March 1912 Agnes was arrested for smashing windows at the premises of Henry Sotheran & Company, a bookseller located at 43 Piccadilly. When arrested Agnes used the alias Oonah Ceallaigh [Caillagh] and was sent to trail and convicted under this name. It was estimated the damage caused by Agnes was over £7,000. Found guilty of the offence she was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and sent to Aylesbury prison due to overcrowding at Holloway. During her stay in Aylesbury Agnes joined the Suffragette hunger strike and was force-fed by the authorities. On release she was awarded a WSPU Hunger Strike medal, also held by the museum.