Overview for Marion Leighfield

Marion Leighfield  lived at 20 Hampstead Way

Marion Leighfield was active; she was arrested in October 1908 during the WFL demonstration at the House of Commons and this was widely reported in the press, as follows:

SUFFRAGETTES GO TO GAOL SEQUEL TO “COMMONS” SCENES.
As a result of the extraordinary scenes within and without the House of Commons, eleven militant suffragettes, all members of the Women’s Freedom League, at Westminster Police-court elected to go to prison rather than pay a fine of £5 each. These ladies will therefore serve one month’s imprisonment in the third division. Miss Marion Leighfield, of Tottenham, who was pushed down, her ankle being sprained, did not go to prison, her £5 fine being paid by a sympathiser.

Another report states: “The friends of Miss Leighfield have paid her fine but that was because she was knocked about last night. She was thrown down several times, and has a badly sprained ankle, and when she left the court today had to be conveyed home in a cab”. (This was apparently part of a press statement made by Edith How Martyn who was then Secretary of the WFL)

When she appeared before the magistrate, Miss Leighfield, “alleged that she was pushed down in the melee on Wednesday night and sprained her ankle”.

“Does it not strike you that this farce is played out?” asked the magistrate.

“It is only just begun, sir,” was the retort. “I shall not pay,” declared the lady as she was ushered to the cells.

In the 1911 Census Marion was not present and doesn’t appear elsewhere, so clearly was a census evader.

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