The Shocking Moment A Women's Rights Activist Sacrificed Her Life By Horse Stomping
Other|Historical Figures

The Shocking Moment A Women's Rights Activist Sacrificed Her Life By Horse Stomping

Setareh Janda
Updated August 6, 2021 184.7K views 10 items

On June 4, 1913, Emily Davison stepped onto the track at Epsom Downs Racecourse as a horse came barreling around the bend. The horse and jockey crashed into Davison, and all three tumbled to the ground. It was a shocking moment in one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. In the aftermath of the crash, it became clear that Emily Davison's act had been purposeful: she had done it to bring attention to the issue of women’s suffrage. Her actions would pave the way for other famous women's rights activists for years to come. 

Born in 1872 to a middle-class British family, Emily Davison was a St. Hugh’s College graduate and a militant member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). The WSPU had been founded in 1903 for the sole purpose of getting British women the right to vote. Though more and more British men of different classes were gaining the vote in the 19th century, British women were still denied this civic right. So, "suffragettes," or militant members in women's rights organizations, like Emily Davison took it upon themselves to protest the disenfranchisement of women in increasingly public and dramatic ways.

Emily Davison's act at the Epsom Derby was actually caught on film, and the Emily Davison video is a chilling glimpse of a tragic event. The picture of her bold stand is one of the most powerful photos of women, and her death was easily one of the most dramatic moments in the campaign for women’s suffrage. Davison ultimately died of her injuries, but the British suffrage movement would never be the same. 

  • Emily Davison Wanted To Bring Attention To The Suffragette Cause At The Epsom Derby

    Emily Davison Wanted To Bring Attention To The Suffragette Cause At The Epsom Derby

    Like many suffragettes, Emily Wilding Davison believed that only direct action would ultimately secure women the right to vote. So, on June 4, 1913, she traveled by train just south of London to reach the Epsom Derby, a famous horse race event that was held annually.

    The Epsom Derby wasn't just any old horse race, either - in 1913, it was one of the most important horse races in the world. Davison hoped that she could use the popularity and profile of the event to bring attention to her cause. 

  • When She Stepped Onto The Track, A Horse Crashed Into Her - It Was All Captured On Film

    When She Stepped Onto The Track, A Horse Crashed Into Her - It Was All Captured On Film

    As a pack of horses rounded a bend in the track, Davison moved past the rail that kept spectators safely out of harm's way, stepped onto the track, and shouted, "Votes for women!" Davison apparently made the motion to grab the reins of Anmer, a colt whose owner was none other than King George V. Unable to stop in the heat of the race, Anmer slammed into Davison. She crashed to ground, along with Anmer and his jockey.

    Since crews from the Pathé film company were at Epsom Downs to record the race, Davison's dramatic decision was caught on film.

  • Emily Davison Didn't Immediately Die - She Languished For Days Before Succumbing To Her Injuries

    Emily Davison Didn't Immediately Die - She Languished For Days Before Succumbing To Her Injuries

    Right after Davison was knocked down, a crowd descended on the suffragette and the wounded jockey. The collision fractured Davison's skull and left her unconscious. She was rushed to a local hospital. There was virtually nothing that the doctors could do for Davison, who remained unconscious.

    She then died several days later on June 8, 1913.

  • Her Act Divided The British Public And She Actually Received Hate Mail While She Was Dying In The Hospital

    Her Act Divided The British Public And She Actually Received Hate Mail While She Was Dying In The Hospital

    The public's reaction to the horrific events at Epsom Derby was mixed. The press was largely focused on whether or not the king's horse and jockey would recover. But her death did open up a fierce debate in newspapers across the country about whether women who committed violent acts like this even deserved the right to vote. Generally, newspapers and many Britons dismissed Davison's act as wild and hysterical.

    While dying in a hospital, Davison actually received hate mail from people who were angry at her. At least one letter-writer told her that she was insane, "unworthy of existence," and should be institutionalized.

  • Davison's Death Catapulted Her To Martyrdom And The Suffragettes Organized A Huge Public Funeral To Honor Their Fallen Sister

    Davison's Death Catapulted Her To Martyrdom And The Suffragettes Organized A Huge Public Funeral To Honor Their Fallen Sister

    After Davison's death, her sister suffragettes quickly transformed her into a martyr who had sacrificed herself to bring attention to the issue of women's suffrage. So, they staged a public funeral as a symbol of the suffragette movement. Thousands of people from across Britain came to London for the funeral on June 14, 1913. Escorted by a mass of 5,000 suffragettes dressed in white, Davison's body was transported across central London in a carriage drawn by four horses.

    The funeral was an opportunity for suffragettes to come together and use Davison as a symbol of what women had to endure in order to get the right to vote. 

  • The Jockey Survived The Crash, But Took His Life Decades Later

    The Jockey Survived The Crash, But Took His Life Decades Later

    The hard and unexpected collision between Anmer and Emily Davison sent the horse's jockey, Herbert Jones, flying into the air. Jones suffered a hard landing and only got up once the horses and riders behind him had passed. The colt, Anmer, actually returned to his feet and trotted to the finish line. Jones and Anmer's injuries were not too severe - they even competed in another race two weeks after the incident.

    Though Herbert Jones survived the crash, he was tormented by the collision. Tragically, he never could shake what happened at Epsom Downs that summer day and claimed that Davison's face haunted him. He took his own life in 1951.