20th Century

Close Bonds: The Unconventional Family of Cecilia Maw

Census records are often associated with family or house history research but they can be used to investigate the social history of Britain and reveal the diversity of households and family units that existed in the past. The release of the 1921 census opened many new avenues of research and has provided revelations about the lives of many historic individuals and their families, including the family of Cecilia Maw (1876-1942), a locally born artist, and Florence Amy Thursfield (1867-1948).
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LETTERS FROM THE TRENCHES, MAURICE DARBY 1894-1915

Discover the story of Maurice Darby (1894-1915), the son of Alfred Darby II who fought and died in the First World War. His letters, written from the trenches on the Western Front, provide an insight into the realities of warfare in the early 20th century.
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The Women Who Could Vote

These are the names, ages and occupations of the 37 women working in the ceramic and iron industries across the Ironbridge Gorge, who gained the right to vote in 1918.

However, women could only vote if they were over the age of 30, and if they or their husband owned a certain amount of property. These strictures meant that more than 120 of their direct contemporaries were still denied the right to vote.
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The Women Who Couldn't Vote

Following the passing of the 1918 Act of Parliament approximately 40% of women in the UK gained the right to vote. These women were mainly older, wealthier, married women, and millions of younger, poorer women were still excluded, including all of these women who were known to be working in the ceramic and iron industries across the Ironbridge Gorge at the time.
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The Shropshire Suffrage Campaign

The passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918 followed more than fifty years of campaigning by suffragists and suffragettes. The fight for the right to vote took place across Britain, including in Shropshire.
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Suffrage Stories

Discover more about some of the women who worked in the ceramic and iron industries in the Gorge and gained the right to vote in 1918.
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