Caitlin – and her dad, Hunter – were in conversation with Jane Wenham-Jones at the Broadstairs Literary Festival at the Yarrow Hotel. One member of the audience explained that she had spent time in Holloway Prison as a baby in the 1950s, while her siblings were put into care. She believes her mother had been… Continue reading
Stylist picks Bad Girls as an ‘unmissable’ read
Stylist chose Bad Girls as one of its ‘unmissable books to read this spring’. ‘Through the story of its inmates, Davies explores how society has dealt with disobedient women – from suffragettes to refugees to women seeking abortions – for decades, and how they’ve failed to silence those who won’t go down without a fight.’… Continue reading
Interview with Woman’s Hour
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… Continue reading
New biography of the Duchess of Sutherland
The Life and Times of Mary, Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, by Catherine Layton, has been released by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. It tells the full story of May Caroline, who in 1893 was imprisoned at Holloway. Catherine, an academic who lives in Australia, is related to May Caroline’s… Continue reading
The great reformer Mary Size
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… Continue reading
Interview with the Moncrieff Show
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 of… Continue reading
Norfolk & Norwich Festival
May 27th, 12.30pm. The Adnams Spiegeltent, Norwich Caitlin explored the real-life stories of those incarcerated at Holloway Prison over 164 years, including the suffragettes and other freedom fighters, at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival in conjunction with Writers’ Centre Norwich. She was in conversation with Helen Dawson, former governor of HMP Styal. Continue reading
Oxford Blackwell’s
May 30th, 7.00pm. Blackwell’s Oxford, OX1 3BQ Caitlin gave a talk about a century of women, crime and punishment at Holloway Prison, as part of Blackwell’s Every Woman Series, a year long series of events run in conjunction with the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage in the UK. Blackwell’s first opened… Continue reading
Cat and Mouse Library talk
August 30th Cat and Mouse Library, 6.30pm, London N7 Caitlin 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… Continue reading
Highgate Library talk
Sept 13th, Highgate Library, 7.30pm, London N19 5DH ‘Remarkable Women’ – an illustrated talk on both the history of Holloway Prison and the women who inspired Daisy Belle: Champion Swimmer of the World. Continue reading
Daisy Belle at Southwark Cathedral
September 15th, Southwark Cathedral, London SE1 Caitlin 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. Continue reading
Arvon non-fiction tutored retreat
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 fees. Continue reading
The Observer reviews Bad Girls
‘Caitlin Davies meticulously records a much-needed and balanced history of this home to ‘royalty and socialites, spies and prostitutes, Nazis and aliens, terrorists and freedom fighters’ and thousands of very ordinary desperate women, many of whom had experienced violence at the hands of men…. Bad Girls is a chronicle (of) the ongoing fight to replace a… Continue reading
Interview with Jackie McGlone in The Sunday Herald
‘A rich, superbly researched, definitive history of Holloway Prison, which closed in 2016, and of the many disobedient, defiant, dangerous women and girls incarcerated there. There are many heartbreaking stories within stories within stories.’ Continue reading
Interview with Jo Good, BBC Radio London
Jo Good has long been interested in prison – she once played a prison officer in the 1999 TV mini series Daylight Robbery – and she had plenty of questions to ask about both inmates and governors at Holloway. She found Bad Girls ‘such a good read…fascinating.’ Listen here Continue reading
Southwark Cathedral
March 24th, 11.15am-12.15, Southwark Cathedral Caitlin took part in a day of talks exploring women’s history to mark a century of women’s suffrage. Speakers included Elizabeth Crawford on the art of suffragette propaganda and Tessa Dunlop on the Century Girls, as well as silent films from the BFI archive. Continue reading
Museum of London
March 24th, 2-5pm Caitlin was part of a panel event exploring the legacy of the suffrage campaign through the eyes of writers today. Panelists included: Elizabeth Crawford, author of Art and Suffrage: a biographical dictionary of suffrage artists, June Purvis, author of Christabel Pankhurst: a Biography, Di Atkinson, author of Rise Up, Women! The Remarkable… Continue reading
Labour Women’s Forum
March 13th, 6.30pm. Islington Town Hall, London Political Freedom Fighters at Holloway, part of International Women’s Day celebrations. Speakers included Di Atkinson on the suffragettes at Holloway, Kim Bonnar on the Irish Republicans, Carol Turner of Labour CND on the women of Greenham and Marj Mayo on community plans for the prison site. Continue reading
Interview with the Museum of London
‘Prison to Parliament: the Suffragettes and Holloway. Caitlin Davies’ book Bad Girls delves into the history of Holloway, shedding new light on the extraordinary stories of the women imprisoned there, including the Suffragettes’ Read the full interview here Continue reading
The Sunday Times reviews Bad Girls
‘Davies’ absorbing study serves up just enough sensationalism – and eccentricity – along with its serious inquiry. (She) uses the prison as a prism through which to chart changing attitudes to women over the past 164 years – beginning with the Victorian notion of “double deviance”, which suggested that female criminals had broken not only… Continue reading
Pow! Festival
March 10th, 10.00am. Turner Contemporary, Margate ‘100 years and counting!’ A day of talks, debate, and discussion. POW! is a festival of Arts and Culture celebrating and exploring issues around Feminism, Women and Girls. The day kicked off with the experiences of the suffragettes at Holloway Prison. Continue reading
WOW Women of the World Festival
Caitlin took part in a panel discussion on ‘Gender Behind Bars’ as part of the Women of the World Festival at the Royal Festival Hall. Participants included representatives from Women in Prison, Inquest and the Centre for Criminal Appeals. The focus was on the harm of prison and how to reduce the number of women… Continue reading
Book Launch at the London Metropolitan Archives
Bad Girls launched at the London Metropolitan Archives, now home to the Holloway Prison archives. It was fantastic to celebrate the book’s publication on International Women’s Day, alongside those who have lived and worked at Holloway. The audience included relatives of imprisoned suffragettes, a descendant of the Duchess of Sutherland jailed in 1890, and a… Continue reading
A visit to Downview Prison
Caitlin gave a talk about the suffragettes and Holloway Prison to current inmates at Downview, Surrey. This was part of Historic England’s HerStories campaign. The women at Downview will be producing suffragette inspired banners, along with artist Lucy Orta and the London College of Fashion, for a mass participation art event this summer. Continue reading
Feature on Open Book: suffragette reading in prison
I joined Open Book, BBC Radio 4, to explain the importance of books to the suffragettes imprisoned in Holloway. While their cells were provided with a book on domestic hygiene, A Perfect Home and How to Keep It, the suffragettes wanted a more challenging read. Some favoured Dickens’ prison novels, others chose the work of… Continue reading
Holloway Prison and the struggle for the vote, The Islington Tribune
Interview with Emily Finch. ‘Suffragettes made the most of their prison experience – it was a powerfully run PR campaign. The now empty 10-acre Holloway Prison site was once the hub of the women’s suffrage movement.’ Continue reading
London Suffragette Sites in The Guardian
‘Smashed windows, broken rules: the dark suffragette sites of London’. Jo Griffin explores the importance of suffragette sites in London, including the notorious Holloway Prison. More here Continue reading
‘A Ripping Good Read’ – Jeremy Corbyn MP
Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, is MP for Islington North – the borough which is home Holloway Prison ‘Caitlin Davies writes with warmth, empathy and humour about the women – some brave and rebellious – who spent time in Holloway Prison. Assiduously researched, “Bad Girls” documents interweaving struggles… Continue reading
The Bookseller reviews Bad Girls
‘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 Continue reading