Edith Rigby

Vocation

English suffragette, she founded a school in Preston called St. Peter's School, aimed at educating women and girls. n 1907 she formed the Preston branch of the Women's Social and Political Union. Also in this year, she took part in a march to the Houses of Parliament in London with Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst. Fifty-seven women, including Rigby, were arrested and sentenced to a month in prison. During this time (and her subsequent sentences, seven in total) Rigby took part in hunger strikes and was subjected to force-feeding. Her activism included planting a pipe bomb in the Liverpool Corn Exchange on 5th July 1913 and on 7th July 1913 setting fire to Lord Leverhulme's bungalow at Rivington Pike. The property contained a number of valuable paintings and the attack resulted in damage costing £20,000. Rigby was reportedly the first lady to ride a bicycle in Preston. During World War I, she bought a cottage near Preston named Marigold Cottage and used it to produce food for the war effort. With short hair and wearing men's clothes, she grew fruit and vegetables and kept animals and bees, following the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. She had a happy marriage with her husband, who retired and lived with her at her cottage. They adopted a son called Sandy. She eventually suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in 1948 near Llandudno, Wales. Link to Wikipedia biography