Three Bakers

Annie Baker was arrested on March 12th 1912.

She was in fact Mrs Anne Baker. When she appeared before the magistrate’s court she was committed for trial. She was found guilty of obstruction and bound over to keep the peace. It appears from Votes for Women that she paid the fine and did not go to prison.

​Neither age nor details of where she lived have been located so the trail goes cold.

©Museum of London

Frances Baker was arrested on November 27th 1911.

In a newspaper report, Frances is said to have been from Harley Street where she was presumably staying as she was in fact from the West of Ireland. A married woman, Frances travelled from Ireland as she felt strongly about the injustice to women. She was arrested for repeatedly trying to break through a cordon by St Margaret’s Church, Westminster.

The magistrate observed that Frances had travelled a long way to perform an illegal act. She responded with  “I should not have come unless I thought it worthwhile.  
I feel that the condition of many thousands of women is exceedingly miserable because of the injustice of the law.”

She was sentenced to five days imprisonment after refusing to pay the five shilling fine and was released on December 1st 1911.

Please see a later blog called Margaret Davies Colley, a sister of Frances Baker, which talks about the two sisters.
 
Jessie Baker was arrested on July 31st 1909.

Lloyd George delivered his People’s Budget designed to increase taxes, including a supertax on the rich, to pay for social reform. Many were aghast at the proposals, while others were impressed at the proposed social reforms.

On the evening of July 30th 1909, Lloyd George addressed an audience of four thousand at the Edinburgh Castle, a music hall, in Limehouse. By some, it was seen as the defining speech of his career. Outside a group of suffragettes gathered but were prevented from entering the hall by the police. A certain amount of jostling took place with police hats being knocked off and the women trying to prevent themselves being moved on.

Jessie, among the throng, was charged with attempted rescue as she had allegedly tried to prevent the police from arresting Emily Davidson for obstruction. Jessie shouted “Let her go; do not take her.” She declined to be bound over to keep the peace and was, therefore, sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment. Whilst in prison, Jessie went on hunger strike refusing food for four days.

​On her release, she was taken to the WSPU headquarters and was reported to be quite unwell.

​In one newspaper report her age is given as forty six. Whilst this narrows it down it has not been possible to pin point exactly who she is.