Town’s first female journalist honoured – 52 years after her death

MABEL Capper – Warrington’s first female journalist – has been recognised as one of Britain’s greatest pioneers of political reform.
The Women’s Local Government Society (WLGS) has announced its list of the top 100 Suffrage Pioneers who fought for gender equality and women’s rights in the UK – and Mabel is one of them.
Mabel came to the attention of the WLGS after Warrington Museum and Art Gallery discovered her inspirational story while compiling their exhibition “Nevertheless, She Persisted.”
Determined to raise awareness about this impressive woman, museum staff contacted WLGS to nominate her as one of the 100 pioneers.
Hannah White, collections assistant at the museum said “We are thrilled that Mabel Capper has been selected as one of the top 100 Suffrage Pioneers. She is a great role model for women both locally and nationally and will hopefully inspire further women to fight for political and social causes which they believe in.  Her nomination recognises the invaluable contribution that women can make to society.”
Born in Manchester in 1888, Mabel came from a family of active suffrage campaigners, a legacy that would remain at the centre of Mabel’s life for years to come.
Beginning her career as a journalist at the tender age of 10, Mabel started out by editing a manuscript magazine before becoming the first female journalist on the Warrington Examiner in 1907.
Using her role as a journalist to publicly argue the cause for women’s suffrage, Mabel soon took a much more physical stance in the campaign by taking part in by-elections and protests throughout the country, in addition to more militant activities such as causing disruptions at political meetings and polling stations, and even window breaking.
A high-profile campaigner, Mabel was even one of four suffragettes accused of targeting Prime Minister Asquith with a bomb in Dublin – a charge that was eventually withdrawn.
Imprisoned a total of six times, and as one of the very first suffragettes to be force-fed as the result of a hunger strike – Mabel became one of the most prominent activists for women’s suffrage, a cause she continued to battle for until her death in 1966.
In 1912, she produced her first play, entitled The Betrothal of Number 13, which was performed at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The subject matter was the stigma imposed by imprisonment, even on the innocent.
Following the declaration of war in 1914, Mabel became a nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment, later becoming involved with the pacifist and socialist movements. After the war she returned to journalism and worked as a journalist on the Daily Herald.
Lesley Clarke, founder and chairwoman of the Women’s Local Government Society, said: “We know the hundred or so local pioneers we have identified so far represent so many more activists in this period. Women who fought for the vote didn’t just fade away in 1918. Many were already actively involved in improving their local communities alongside their work to win the vote. They had more opportunities to do so after 1918, and more to do. They were suffragists, suffragettes, and so much more.”
Anyone wanting to learn more about Mabel and other inspirational Warrington women can visit the Nevertheless, She Persisted exhibition at Warrington Museum & Art Gallery until Saturday April 28.
For more information, visit www.warringtonmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/event/nevertheless-she-persisted/  or contact Warrington Museum and Art Gallery on 01925 442399.