St Leonards Outrage

Militant suffragettes torch Levetleigh, St Leonards, former home of Arthur Du Cros, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye.

This Pathe newsreel captures the aftermath of an arson attack on Levetleigh House, St Leonards, former residence of Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye Arthur Du Cros. The attack was orchestrated by suffragette Kitty Marion, by way of a protest against the politician's staunch resistance to women's suffrage.

Note how curious locals - and their dogs and children - have unrestricted access to the still smouldering property, while the man on the ladder removes some dangerously loose tiles from the roof. The event was a landmark in the suffrage movement. The following day then Home Secretary, Reginald McKenna, announced a ban on pro-suffrage demonstrations in open public places such as Hyde Park and Wimbledon Common.