Anna Munro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Munro
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Scottish secretary
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| Born |
Anna Gillies Macdonald Munro
4 October 1881 |
| Died | 11 September 1962 (aged 80) Padworth, England, United Kingdom
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| Other names | Anna Munro-Ashman |
| Occupation | campaigner |
| Employer | Women's Freedom League |
| Known for | campaigner for women's suffrage and temperance |
| Children | married with chlidren |
Anna Gillies Macdonald Munro (born October 4, 1881 – died September 11, 1962) was a very active campaigner in the United Kingdom. She worked hard for two important causes. One was the temperance movement, which aimed to reduce alcohol use. The other was the women's suffrage movement, which fought for women's right to vote.
Anna Munro helped organize and was the secretary of the Women's Freedom League. This group campaigned for women's rights, especially in Scotland. After the First World War, she lived in Thatcham. Later, by 1933, she was living in Aldermaston. She passed away in Padworth, Berkshire, in 1962. Today, some affordable homes in Thatcham are named after her.
Anna Munro's Early Life and Activism
Anna Gillies Macdonald Munro was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 4, 1881. Her parents were Margaret Ann MacVean and Evan Macdonald Munro, a school master. After her mother died in 1892, Anna moved to Dunfermline. There, her uncle and aunt took care of her.
She later joined the Wesleyan Methodist Sisters of the People in London. She worked with people who were poor. Anna then became part of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). She started a branch of this group in Dunfermline in 1906. She even gained support from important leaders like Keir Hardie from the Labour Party.
In 1907, there was a disagreement within the WSPU. This led to a new group being formed, called the Women's Freedom League (WFL). This group was more democratic. Anna Munro was chosen to be the Secretary of the WFL's Scottish Council.
She was briefly put in prison in 1908 for her protests. She went on a speaking tour with Amy Sanderson, another WFL member. They raised awareness and money for the movement. She also supported hunger strikers like Alice Paul and Edith New in Arbroath.
In 1911, Anna was shown in The Vote newspaper. She was pictured with other Scottish delegates at a WFL conference. Later, Anna joined protests against the 1911 Census. Many suffragettes refused to take part in it. Also in 1911, Anna was involved in a protest about the Conciliation Bill. She spoke from a lorry in Princes Street. The lorry was decorated in the colours of the Women's Freedom League.
Anna married Sidney Ashman in 1913. She legally took the name Munro-Ashman. However, she was still known as Anna Munro in her work. She continued to fight for women's rights throughout her life. She was also a socialist and a temperance campaigner.
The Munro-Ashmans lived in Reading for a while. Then they moved to Thatcham. Anna became one of the first parish councillors there in 1919. They raised their family at Park Farm. By 1933, she was living in Venturefair, Aldermaston. She hosted a party there for the Reading branch of the WFL. It was to celebrate the 89th birthday of the WFL founder, Charlotte Despard. Despard called Anna her "dear and trusted friend."
Remembering Anna Munro's Impact
Anna Munro passed away on September 11, 1962, in Padworth, Berkshire. New affordable homes in Thatcham are named Munro. This is because she was one of the first two women parish councillors in Thatcham. In 2018, the Glasgow Women's Library asked Lucia Hearn to make a short film about Anna Munro. This film celebrated 100 years since some women gained the right to vote.
External resources
- Anna Munro (GWL) 22 March 2019, animated film https://womenslibrary.org.uk/2019/03/22/anna-munro/
