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Sophia Goulden statue will help recognition of 'remarkable' Manx women

Culture Vannin Sophia GouldenCulture Vannin
Lonan-born Sophia Goulden had nine children, including Emmeline

A statue of a suffragette leader's Manx-born mother will help ensure the lives of the island's "remarkable" women get "the same recognition as men", an MHK has said.

A memorial to rights campaigner Sophia Goulden was first proposed in 2016.

Speaking as Tynwald endorsed a statue of her and daughter Emmeline Pankhurst, Daphne Caine said her story had been "hidden for more than 100 years".

"Erecting a statue will make sure her life is remembered", she said.

She said the statue, which will be privately funded, was in its "final design stages" and would redress the imbalance in statues on the island.

"There are many statues of famous men on the Isle of Man, but only one of a woman and that is Queen Victoria," she said.

"The lives of remarkable women deserve the same recognition as men."

Getty Images Emmeline PankhurstGetty Images
Emmeline Pankhurst led the campaign for women's suffrage in the early 20th Century

A spokesman for campaign group Friends of Sophia Goulden said the Lonan-born activist had been "an incredibly influential woman, who brought her own daughters up to fight for women's rights".

He added that the "official parliamentary recognition" would have made her "incredibly proud".

The group will now work on final plans for the statue, before revealing its design at a later date.

The move follows a similar campaign in Manchester, where Mrs Gouden's daughter Emmeline was born.

A statue of Mrs Pankhurst, who led the campaign for women's suffrage in the early 20th Century, will be unveiled in the city on 8 March 2019 to mark International Women's Day.