What happened at the Epsom Derby in 1913?
Evidence file
Emily had purchased a return ticket
to the Derby.
Pinned to the inside of her jacket was a
Suffragette banner.
She was found to be carrying a race
card with the name of the king’s horse
circled.
She was carrying an invite to a
Suffragette ball later that day in
London.
She had been witnessed on Morpeth
Common, practicing stopping horses.
According to local historian, Mrs Howes,
Davison resorted to running onto the track as
a ‘plan B’ after an attempt to pin the
colours to a horse in the paddock failed.
She said ‘plan A’, the safer option, was
scuppered when Davison was recognised and
barred from entering the pen.
She had recently written to her niece in
Paris and arranged a visit for later that
month.
Train ticket © Sludge G 2011 https://flic.kr/p/9ASVW7; Invitation © Special Collections Toronto Public Library 2012 https://flic.kr/p/dfXMBN; Race card (red circle added) © Tracy B 2009 https://flic.kr/p/6dTDXf
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2015
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What happened at the Epsom Derby in 1913?
Reports of the event
‘A Memorable Derby’
The Derby of 1913 will long be remembered in the history of racing. The favourite,
Craganour, passed the post first, but after a steward’s enquiry it was decided that
Craganour should be disqualified for interference and the second horse, Aboyeur, given
the race.
However some people will perhaps be more disgusted by the desperate act of a woman
who ran on the course, just as the horses swept round Tattenham corner. She seems to
have had some mad idea that she could spoil the race. Some of the spectators close to
the woman supposed that she was under the impression that the horses had all gone by
and that she was merely attempting to cross the course. The evidence, however is
strong that her action was deliberate and that in the supposed interests of the
Suffragette movement.
But a deed of this kind is not likely to increase the popularity of her cause with the
ordinary public. We are mistaken if yesterday’s exhibition does not do more harm than
good to the Suffragettes cause.’
An account from the Times newspaper, 5 June 1913
‘In honour and in loving, reverent memory of Emily Wilding Davison. She died for
women.
Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Miss Davison, who made a protest at the Derby against the denial of Votes to Women,
was knocked down by the King’s horse and sustained terrible injuries of which she died
on Sunday, June 8th 1913.’
From the front cover of The Suffragette, the official magazine of the Women’s Social
and Political Union, 13 June 1913. The text was printed beneath a whole page image of
an angel, standing in front of the race railings at Derby, with a halo reading ‘love that
overcometh’. A copy of the original can be seen here:
http://womenshistorynetwork.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/suffragette.png
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What happened at the Epsom Derby in 1913?
Teaching notes
Starter activity
Show students the picture on p. 1 of the image bank. (This document is separate for
copyright reasons, but can be downloaded for free on the site. Search ‘24262’ to locate
it quickly.) Begin with some inference questioning – ‘what can we learn from this
picture?’, ‘what might be happening?’, ‘what can’t we tell?’, ‘what questions do you
want to ask about it?’.
Possible main activities
1. To introduce the context of the topic, you might wish to show your class this short
YouTube clip of British Pathé footage and commentary:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVPTXmesMpo (The link was correct and working at
time of publication, but do check in advance of teaching.) Students could write a
brief list on ‘Emily Davison’s possible motivations’ and discuss what they think of
her actions.
2. In pairs or small groups, ask students to review the selection of evidence on p.1 of
this document. Does it alter their view of Davison’s motivations? What evidence
would they select to support the cases that she did/didn’t intend to commit
suicide?
3. Ask your students to read the two contrasting reports of the event from the Times
and The Suffragette on p.2 of this document. Depending on your class, you may
wish them to discuss or write answers to the following questions:

What impressions do the reports give of the event?

Why do they present the event differently?

What could the motives behind their portrayals be?
Plenary
Ask students to write an obituary of Emily Davison, explaining their understanding of her
intentions and the significance of her death. You may wish to provide some students
with a copy of the article below to assist in this.
Further reading
The following short article by Martin Pugh in History Today would serve as excellent
extension reading for able students or to supplement your own research.
www.historytoday.com/martin-pugh/emily-wilding-davison-good-terrorist
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