Francis Robert (‘Frank’), was born on 27 February 1884. Frank became an espe-
cial favourite with Richard, ‘his heart’s core’.^17 By now, however, Emmeline had
found that politics could be an expensive business. Richard had to pay his own
election costs but, more seriously, the controversy he had created had lost him
many well-to-do clients. Shortly after his election defeat, he had successfully
defended a court case against Manchester City Corporation in favour of small
market traders upon whom an extra tax was being levied in addition to the
regular charge. While this success endeared Dr. Pankhurst to the working classes
and to his wife, it further antagonised rich businessmen. Nor was Emmeline’s
father unaffected by these developments. Part of the boycott against Richard
became directed at him; financial problems arose in Robert Goulden’s business,
from which he never recovered, and the stress caused his health to fail. The
difficult situation was not helped by unresolvable differences in political
outlook between the once thriving industrialist and his son-in-law. Richard,
since his resignation from the Liberal Party, had been espousing socialist views
with which his father-in-law passionately disagreed. Emmeline sided with her
husband and thus found herself again in conflict with her father.^18
The tensions became so unpleasant at Seedley Cottage over the following
year, that Richard and Emmeline decided they had to leave the Goulden home.
Emmeline was expecting another baby and not keeping well during this preg-
nancy, suffering acutely from neuralgia and dyspepsia; often she was
incapacitated by migraine attacks, from which she suffered all her life.^19 Mary
decided to leave with her sister and Richard, to make her home with them; that
way she could escape hearing the constant stream of criticism that her parents
were directing against their eldest daughter and her socialist husband – who had
become an agnostic – and also help Emmeline in the running of the home. On
19 June 1885, another daughter, Adela Constantia Mary, was born at the new
house at 66 Carter Street, Chorlton upon Medlock, near Greenheys.
In the new Pankhurst home a rather traditional pattern was soon established.
Each morning Emmeline would brush her husband’s coat before he left for work,
complaining about his pockets bulging with the smallest editions of his
favourite books and little black note-pads that he kept regularly on his person
for various jottings that came to his mind. The watching children would often
hear her protesting, ‘Some surgeon will stop you in the street one of these days
and ask you to leave him your body for dissection – you make such a sight of
yourself!’^20 Then the children would rush to the high, narrow window in the
nursery to wave father goodbye as he went to work, his red hair now turned
grey. When he returned home in the evenings, the excited offspring would
hurry to find out what new book he had bought for them and anxiously wait to
be read or told a story. He would often proudly say, ‘My children are the four
pillars of my house!’ and insist that ‘Life is nothing without enthusiasms!’ as he
encouraged them to work for others. ‘If you do not grow up to help other people
you will not have been worth the upbringing!’ ‘Drudge and drill!’ and ‘To do, to
be, and to suffer!’ were other frequent exhortations as the middle-aged father
MARRIAGE AND ENTRY INTO POLITICAL LIFE