Kept: 13 October
- A woman is taken on a tour of the Houses of Parliament. There is a peephole where women are allowed to watch the chamber, and no further in.
Her escort is an MP who admitted her on the strength of her father's name. Once he had her at the peephole, she left it. She broke away from him, walked into the room where the debate was, and spoke. Margaret Travers Symons became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons.
Reports differ on what she shouted. One has: “Drop your talk about the children's bill and give us votes for women!” Another: “Attend to the women's question.” The words vary. That she said them does not.
She was removed from the building. Not arrested, because the police had no jurisdiction inside Parliament. She wrote to her escort that same day to assure him it had not been planned.
What I keep is the peephole: the small hole you are allowed to watch from, as long as you do not step past it. She stepped past it.