I talked about Bad Girls and the 164-year old history of Holloway Prison with Yasmeen Khan on talkRADIO. Questions ranged from ‘what is the point of prison?’ to what should be done with the derelict Holloway Prison site. Listen here
Haunt London, which promotes London history and folklore, organised a sell out event at the Backyard Comedy Club in East London on April 17th. Caitlin spoke about ‘The Hollowayettes: the Suffragettes at Holloway Prison’, while the brilliant Sarah Jackson revealed the stories of the East London Suffragettes. Sarah co-founded the East End Women’s Museum, […]
‘Women who broke the law throughout much of British history often also broke another taboo: what was expected of their gender. Caitlin Davies’ book explores HMP Holloway, the London lockup where many of these female felons were incarcerated. It’s fascinating both for its portrait of larger-than-life women and the ways in which they were regarded […]
‘Caitlin Davies’ revealing account of the jail’s 164-year history offers overwhelming evidence for her thesis, that ‘ever since Holloway opened, women have been held up to different standards: were they good wives and mothers, did they know their place?’..(She) makes a good case for the prison’s role as ‘a graduating university for militants’…(and) digs […]
I chatted to Tina Daheley on Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio4, about Bad Girls and the inmates of Holloway Prison – including Selina Salter, a young girl imprisoned 60 times in the 1860s, the Duchess of Sutherland, jailed in 1893 for contempt of court, and the thousands of Jewish refugees locked up in World War Two […]
After speaking about Mary Size on the Moncrieff Show, two relatives have been in touch to say how happy they are that Mary is ‘finally getting the recognition she deserves’ for her work within the English penal system. They explained that Mary began her career as a English teacher at a local school in County […]
I chatted to Sean Moncrieff on Newstalk about the history of Holloway Prison, and particularly the great reformer Mary Size (below) who hailed from County Galway. Mary was born in 1883 and became a prison wardress after moving to England. In 1927 she was appointed Deputy Governor of Holloway and introduced a whole range […]
August 30th Cat and Mouse Library, 6.30pm, London N7 I talked about the experiences of the suffragettes at the recently renamed Cat and Mouse Library in Islington, just a stone’s throw away from Holloway Prison. The free talk was part of Islington Museum’s Echoes of Holloway Project. The library has a great display explaining the […]
September 15th, Southwark Cathedral, London SE1 I gave an illustrated talk on the pioneering women swimmers of Victorian times, and the inspiration behind Daisy Belle. This was part of TotallyThames, the annual festival in tribute to the River Thames.
I’m thrilled to be a tutor on Arvon’s non-fiction tutored retreat – ‘Finding the heart of your non-fiction story’ – along with Colin Grant and guest speaker Helen Jukes. The retreat runs from November 18th to the 23rd, 2019, at the Hurst in Shropshire. Two types of grants are available to help cover course […]
‘Readable, compelling and illuminating history of HM Prison Holloway and of the women from all walks for life who have been incarcerated there since it was first built as a House of Correction in 1852’, Caroline Sanderson, the Bookseller