Find me at: Fishergate Primary School

W3W: ///exit.wanted.ties

Researched by: Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington Local History Society

Designed by: Christine Jopling

Annie Coultate (1856 - 1931), a dedicated suffragette, was instrumental in the women's suffrage movement in York. Born Annie de Lacy in 1856, she became a teacher at Fishergate Elementary School and a key figure in the local branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). As the founding Secretary of the York WSPU, Coultate organised events, sold suffrage newspapers, and actively supported the campaign for women's voting rights.

On census night in 1911, she made a statement by evading the census, spending the night with fellow suffragettes in a room on Coney Street. Her commitment was evident in her daily activities and the risks she took. Annie's efforts were recognized nationally, and she is now commemorated on the Mapping Women's Suffrage website. Annie Coultate passed away in 1931, leaving a legacy of perseverance and dedication to women's rights.

❝Annie Coultate was a pioneer and a revolutionary. She was also a mother and headmistress. In the late 19th and early 20th century, it was the expectation that women would stay at home after marrying and having children, not pursue careers. They were also denied the vote. Annie challenged and defied those expectations. She was Secretary to the York Women’s Social & Political Union, the suffragette movement, speaking publicly and distributing the Votes for Women publication. She, along with many other women, and men, boycotted the 1911 census - if women didn’t count, why should they be counted? I wanted to show that Annie managed to balance her life as a mum, a respected headmistress and valued member of society with that of a rebel and fighter for social justice.

I was very interested in participating in this York Trailblazers Trail as I feel it’s important for the people of York to discover the lives of some of the people that may not be known to them, but who have contributed greatly to York’s history, and it’s future. Annie Coultate is the perfect example of an extraordinary woman who has passed under the radar but has contributed so much to York’s story, and the way that women can live now. The project also encourages reuse and recycling, a subject close to my heart, and I have been able to use surplus paint from a previous project that I originally purchased from community enterprise Seagulls Reuse.❞