This cache is located on Plymouth’s Hoe – near the place of Nancy Astor’s residence. Depending on the time of day it can be a very high muggle location. The views here are fantastic, during the day when you can overlook the Sound, and even at night when the lighthouse is wonderfully lit up.
About... Nancy Astor (1879-1964)
Nancy Astor is famous for being the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat in Westminster in 1919. Her background is an interesting one. Born in America, her father had found wealth in the railroad business until the abolishment of slavery made his operations unprofitable. The early years of Nancy’s life found the family suffering hardship, all until her father made a second fortune in his new business. She moved to New York and married her first husband at the age of eighteen, but the marriage was not a happy one (the omens were not good when Nancy left her husband during their honeymoon… one of many separations).
In order to find a new life she moved to England in 1905 where she made a reputation as a witty and interesting American lady. This was the great period of the new wealth of the States marrying into the old, poverty-stricken aristocratic families. ‘Have you come to get our husbands?’ she was asked, before replying: ‘If you knew the trouble I had getting rid of mine!’ She married a second time to a fellow American – Waldorf Astor – and this second marriage was far more enjoyable.
Her entrance into politics was due to her husband having to vacant his own Parliamentary seat due to the death of his father (therefore, taking his place in the Lords, rather than the Commons). Nancy Astor decided to fight for the seat, but suffered from many set-backs: principally that of being out of touch with British politics, as well as being an advocate of banning alcohol (never a good viewpoint in the city of Plymouth!). She even blamed drink for the reason as to why the English cricket team had played so poorly.
She won the seat in 1919 and sometimes caused a stir in the Commons by not obeying the strict rules whilst in the chamber. She is noted as having achieved little during her time as MP, and she made many enemies during her time at Westminster. However, her time as a female MP is undoubtedly symbolic, and is part of the change in the role and status of women during the twentieth century. As Astor herself commented: ‘Women have got to make the world safe for men since men have made it so darned unsafe for women’.