Editing Emmeline Pankhurst (section)

== Independent Labour Party ==
Pankhurst's shop never succeeded and he had trouble attracting business in London. With the family's finances in jeopardy, Richard travelled regularly to [[northwest England]], where most of his clients were. In 1893 the Pankhursts closed the store and returned to Manchester. They stayed for several months in the seaside town of [[Southport]], then moved briefly to the village of [[Disley]] and finally settled into a house in Manchester's [[Victoria Park, Manchester|Victoria Park]]. The girls were enrolled in Manchester Girls' High School, where they felt confined by the large student population and strictly regimented schedule.<ref>Purvis 2002, pp. 39–40; Pugh, pp. 57–60; E.S. Pankhurst, pp. 113–116.</ref>

[[File:Keir Hardie crop.jpg|thumb|right|[[Keir Hardie]] worked with the Pankhursts on a variety of political issues and later became a very close friend of Sylvia's.]]

Pankhurst began to work with several political organisations, distinguishing herself for the first time as an activist in her own right and gaining respect in the community. One biographer describes this period as her "emergence from Richard's shadow."<ref>Pugh, p. 61.</ref> In addition to her work on behalf of women's suffrage, she became active with the [[Women's Liberal Federation]] (WLF), an auxiliary of the Liberal Party. She quickly grew disenchanted with the group's moderate positions, however, especially its unwillingness to support [[Irish Home Rule bills|Irish Home Rule]] and the aristocratic leadership of [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery|Archibald Primrose]].<ref name="ilp01">Bartley, pp. 42–43; Purvis 2002, pp. 40–42; Pugh, pp. 60–61.</ref>

In 1888 Pankhurst had met and befriended [[Keir Hardie]], a socialist from Scotland. He was elected to parliament in 1891 and two years later helped to create the [[Independent Labour Party]] (ILP). Excited about the range of issues which the ILP pledged to confront, Pankhurst resigned from the WFL and applied to join the ILP. The local branch refused her admission on the grounds of her sex, but she eventually joined the ILP nationally. Christabel later wrote of her mother's enthusiasm for the party and its organising efforts: "In this movement she hoped there might be the means of righting every political and social wrong."<ref name="ilp01"/><ref>C. Pankhurst, p. 32.</ref>

One of her first activities with the ILP found Pankhurst distributing food to poor men and women through the Committee for the Relief of the Unemployed. In December 1894 she was elected to the position of [[Board of Guardians|Poor Law Guardian]] in [[Chorlton-on-Medlock]]. She was appalled by the conditions she witnessed first-hand in the Manchester [[workhouse]]:{{blockquote|text=The first time I went into the place I was horrified to see little girls seven and eight years old on their knees scrubbing the cold stones of the long corridors&nbsp;... bronchitis was epidemic among them most of the time&nbsp;... I found that there were pregnant women in that workhouse, scrubbing floors, doing the hardest kind of work, almost until their babies came into the world&nbsp;... Of course the babies are very badly protected&nbsp;... These poor, unprotected mothers and their babies I am sure were potent factors in my education as a militant.<ref>E. Pankhurst 1914, pp. 25–28.</ref>}}Pankhurst immediately began to change these conditions, and established herself as a successful voice of reform on the Board of Guardians. Her chief opponent was a passionate man named Mainwaring, known for his rudeness. Recognising that his loud anger was hurting his chances of persuading those aligned with Pankhurst, he kept a note nearby during meetings: "Keep your temper!"<ref>E .S. Pankhurst 1931, p. 132.</ref>

After helping her husband with another unsuccessful parliamentary campaign, Pankhurst faced legal troubles in 1896 when she and two men violated a [[court order]] against ILP meetings at [[Boggart Hole Clough]]. With Richard's volunteering his time as [[Lawyer|legal counsel]], they refused to pay fines, and the two men spent a month in prison. The punishment was never ordered for Pankhurst, however, possibly because the magistrate feared public backlash against the imprisonment of a woman so respected in the community. Asked by an ILP reporter if she were prepared to spend time in prison, Pankhurst replied: "Oh, yes, quite. It wouldn't be so very dreadful, you know, and it would be a valuable experience."<ref>Quoted in Purvis 2002, p. 47.</ref> Although ILP meetings were eventually permitted, the episode was a strain on Pankhurst's health and caused loss of income for their family.<ref name="clough">Purvis 2002, pp. 46–49; Bartley, pp. 57–59; Pugh, pp. 72–75.</ref>

=== Richard's death ===
During the struggle at Boggart Hole Clough, Richard Pankhurst began to experience severe [[Abdominal pain|stomach pains]]. He had developed a [[gastric ulcer]], and his health deteriorated in 1897. The family moved briefly to [[Mobberley]], with the hope that country air would help his condition. He soon felt well again, and the family returned to Manchester in the autumn. In the summer of 1898, he suffered a sudden relapse. Emmeline Pankhurst had taken their oldest daughter Christabel to [[Corsier]], Switzerland, to visit her old friend Noémie. A telegram arrived from Richard, reading: "I am not well. Please come home, my love."<ref>Quoted in Purvis 2002, p. 52.</ref> Leaving Christabel with Noémie, Pankhurst returned immediately to England. On 5 July, while on a train from London to Manchester, she noticed a newspaper announcing the death of Richard Pankhurst.<ref>Purvis 2002, pp. 51–52; Bartley, pp. 59–60; Pugh, pp. 75–77.</ref>

[[File: Christabel Pankhurst.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Christabel Pankhurst]], often called the favourite child, spent almost 15 years working by her mother's side for women's suffrage.]]

The loss of her husband left Pankhurst with new responsibilities and a significant amount of debt. She moved the family to a smaller house at 62 Nelson Street, resigned from the Board of Guardians, and was given a paid position as Registrar of Births and Deaths in Chorlton. This work gave her more insight into the conditions of women in the region. She wrote in her autobiography: "They used to tell me their stories, dreadful stories some of them, and all of them pathetic with that patient and uncomplaining pathos of poverty."<ref name="epank3234">E. Pankhurst 1914, p. 32–34.</ref> Her observations of the differences between the lives of men and women, for example in relation to [[illegitimacy]], reinforced her conviction that women needed the right to vote before their conditions could improve. In 1900 she was elected to the Manchester School Board and saw new examples of women suffering unequal treatment and limited opportunities. During this time she also re-opened her store, with the hope that it would provide additional income for the family.<ref name="epank3234"/><ref>Bartley, pp. 61–64; Purvis 2002, pp. 57–58; Pugh, p. 86.</ref>

The individual identities of the Pankhurst children began to emerge around the time of their father's death. Before long they were all involved in the struggle for women's suffrage. Christabel enjoyed a privileged status among the daughters, as Sylvia noted in 1931: "She was our mother's favourite; we all knew it, and I, for one, never resented the fact."<ref>E. S. Pankhurst 1931, p. 99.</ref> Christabel did not share her mother's fervour for political work, however, until she befriended the suffrage activists [[Esther Roper]] and [[Eva Gore-Booth]]. She soon became involved with the suffrage movement and joined her mother at speaking events.<ref>, Pugh, pp. 92–93; E. S. Pankhurst 1931, pp. 164–165.</ref> Sylvia took lessons from a respected local artist and soon received a scholarship to the [[Manchester Metropolitan University|Manchester School of Art]]. She went on to study art in Florence and Venice.<ref>E. S. Pankhurst 1931, pp. 162–163; Pugh, pp. 96–98.</ref> The younger children, Adela and Harry, had difficulty finding a path for their studies. Adela was sent to a local [[boarding school]], where she was cut off from her friends and contracted [[Pediculosis|head lice]]. Harry also had difficulty at school; he suffered from [[measles]] and vision problems.<ref>Pugh, pp. 82–83; Purvis 2002, p. 56.</ref>{{Clear}}