Countess Constance Markievicz was the first female MP ever to be elected to the House of Commons, in December 1918. Her life was stranger than fiction: born into extreme wealth, she died penniless. She was a soldier, a stateswoman, a prisoner. She was the first female MP ever to be elected to the House of Commons. She survived a death sentence but was forced to watch her closest allies face the firing squads. In a letter to her brother from her prison cell, she says: “My enemies will make a monster out of me, my friends a heroine, and both are equally wide of the truth.”

But her story is not widely known. Many people believe that Nancy Astor was the first female MP, even though she was elected almost a year later, and though she is a household name in Ireland, where she spent much of her life, many people on this side of the Irish Sea do not know who she was or what she did.

I am campaigning to get a Blue Plaque erected to mark her birthplace - 7 Buckingham Gate in Westminster, and I'd love it if you could share this petition with people who would also like to see Constance recognised.

So who was Constance Markievicz?

Constance was born in 1868 as Constance Gore-Booth, the daughter of landed gentry. Her birthplace is 7 Buckingham Gate, Westminster, which is still standing, and which overlooks the back garden of Buckingham Palace. If Queen Victoria had been at home, she might have heard baby Constance crying.

She left London as a young girl and moved to Sligo, where her father had land. Her story is remarkable - moved by her father's compassion to his tenants during the Irish Potato Famine, she went on to fight injustice in all its forms. 

She was an artist, a trade unionist and a feminist, but she's probably best known for her role in the Easter Rising in 1916, a role which, for some, makes her a controversial and difficult figure to commemorate. In April 1916, hundreds of Irish revolutionaries seeking the end of colonial rule took up arms against the British in Dublin. For nearly a week, bullets rained down across the city, as snipers from both sides took deadly aim.

At noon on Easter Monday, Constance drove into St Stephen’s Green, the main park in the centre of Dublin. She was dressed in the green uniform of the Irish Citizen Army - which she designed herself. Her only nod to femininity was the plume of ostrich feathers in her cap. Her fashion advice: “Dress suitably in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels and gold wands in the bank, and buy a revolver.”

A few thousand Irish rebels took on the might of the British military, which numbered 16,000 battle-hardened troops dispatched from the ongoing First World War. Bullets whistled through the streets. Pedestrians ducked for cover. But eventually, the Irish volunteers succumbed to the Brits. Constance surrendered. At her court-martial, she said: “I went out to fight for Ireland's freedom and it does not matter what happens to me. I did what I thought was right and I stand by it." She was sentenced to death but later had her sentence commuted to imprisonment because of her sex. 

She was freed, but jailed again in 1918. It was in Holloway Prison where she was elected as the first female MP in the House of Commons. As she was a Sinn Fein MP, she did not take her seat. She went on to become a member of the first Irish Parliament, and was minister for labour in Ireland. She was a remarkable figure, and Eamon de Valera, the Irish statesman, described her as the “friend of the toiler, the lover of the poor.”

Why should she be recognised?

Who we memorialise, and why we remember them, matters. It matters that only 15% of Blue Plaques in London celebrate women. It matters that our public spaces are dominated by histories of men - impressive men, yes, but still men. And it matters that the first woman to be elected to Parliament came from a then-part of the UK that was experiencing tumultuous upheaval. That story is part of our history, and with a few exceptions, it's rarely told and poorly remembered.

Constance Markievicz was a key character in British and Irish history. She should be recognised with a plaque.

It's particularly stark when you note that, just yards away, there is a plaque for the founder of a stud farm, but not one for the first woman MP.

History can be challenging

Constance was last considered for a plaque back in 2006, and turned down because her London connection wasn't considered strong enough. I disagree. She was born in London, went to art school in London, was presented at court in London and was incarcerated in London. I think that's a pretty strong London connection.

Previous attempts to install a plaque near Holloway Prison resulted in some clutching of pearls because of Constance's complex and varied role in history. She was an insurgent acting against the British government, and took up weapons against the crown. She was jailed for throwing rocks at the King, and there are reports that in 1916, she may have killed a British soldier, though this is disputed.

But none of those things can and should erase her role as the first female MP, and are not grounds for denying a plaque. It's my view that, as Helen Lewis sets out in her book 'Difficult Women', we need to be comfortable viewing women in 3D, seeing them in all their glory and infamy. After all, well-behaved women rarely make history.

Why I care

My fascination with Constance Markiewicz began during my teenage years in an Ireland recovering from the Troubles. For me, she was one of the first feminist heroes I had ever truly encountered. Her personality was rife with complexities and contradictions, and it added an extra layer to the typical, two-dimensional 'smash the patriarchy' narrative that dominated my understanding of feminism. This was Girl Power, with a gun. 

But she also troubled me. I grew up in the aftermath of bombs and bullets, and it's nothing like the romantic vision of freedom fighters that some people might envisage. It's bloody. People die. People get hurt. People are scared. I got caught up in bomb scares as a teenager, and they were some of the most terrifying moments of my life. Dressing them up in the cloak of 'standing up for what you believe in' exposes a naivety about life in conflict that is hard to convey if you've not been there.

But I like that Constance was complicated. I like that I can admire her bravery, quick-wit, sharp comebacks and total compassion for the poor and needy, while taking a more appraising look at why she did what she did.

And she was a trailblazer. She was the first woman to be elected to Parliament and she made a difference. She is the perfect candidate for this lasting tribute.

What have I done so far?

I’ve submitted a proposal to English Heritage, but since she was turned down in 2006, I’m not sure how far I’ll get. There’s also a very long waiting list, and it might be 2026 before she is even considered.

Let's make her the symbol of strength and tenacity she deserves to be in our collective memory. Please sign this petition to honour Constance Markiewicz with a blue plaque, acknowledging her remarkable life and influence on not just women's political representation, but on the undying spirit of resilience.