Alex Ballinger MP on suffragist Mary Macarthur

It's an opportunity for MPs to talk about their constituency, what brought them into politics and what they want to achieve in Parliament.

Halesowen constituency covers a wide area – including Halesowen, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Cradley, Wollescote, Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood.

It’s also steeped in history, so I had no shortage of things to talk about!

So, in this month’s column, I wanted to highlight one person I mentioned in my speech, Mary Macarthur, a local women’s rights champion and suffragist who will be celebrated in Cradley Heath this weekend.

Mary Macarthur a local women’s rights champion and suffragist (Image: Handout)

We are rightly proud of the industrial heritage this part of the Black Country is famous for, but the Industrial Revolution was also notorious for its poor working conditions.

In Cradley Heath (as well as in Cradley, Quarry Bank and other parts of the constituency) many women were involved in the manufacture of small chains, working from home in appalling conditions with miserable pay.

In 1910 it was Mary Macarthur who led these women chainmakers on a 10-week strike against wages that were barely enough to avoid starvation.

Her campaign led to a doubling of women’s pay and helped establish the principle of a minimum wage in the UK.

As a suffragist, she bravely spoke out in favour of universal suffrage at a time when only a minority of women could vote.

Mary stood for parliament in Stourbridge in 1919 (at that time Halesowen was within the Stourbridge constituency) and came close to becoming the first woman MP elected to the House of Commons.

The Women Chainmakers' Festival is held on Sunday September 15th from 11am – 5.30pm at Mary Macarthur Gardens in Cradley Heath.

A fantastic family-friendly event with street theatre, live metalworking, children’s activities and more.