HICKS, Lilian & Amy.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Twenty autograph letters signed, received by Lilian Hicks and her family and friends during her daughter Amy's imprisonment for militant suffragism. This collection comprises ten affectionate and reassuring letters from Amy, eight from fellow suffragists, and two from the prison commission. Together, they demonstrate the collective effort undertaken by the suffragists to ensure fair and just sentences in the face of societal prejudice and bureaucratic oppression. Several letters concern the prisoners' hunger strike, which the Home Office believed was orchestrated by Amy. Lilian (1853-1924) and Amy (1877-1953) Hicks were long-term campaigners for women's suffrage. Although initially committed to peaceful action, they were converted to militantism after years of governmental stalling. The earliest letter in the collection was sent by Amy on 7 March 1912 from Holloway, where she was held on remand for her participation in the WSPU's window-smashing campaign in London's West End. She sent further letters on 8, 9, and 12 March to Lilian, her sister Beatrice, and "Bertie", perhaps a lawyer, in which she organized visits, described meeting her fellow prisoners, and worried about her upcoming trial, observing that "the maximum penalties seem rather the fashion". Lilian was also awaiting trial on similar charges to her daughter but had been bailed.Amy and Lilian had their trials on 13 and 26 of March respectively. Lilian was found not guilty, but Amy received four months in Aylesbury

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