The plaque was unveiled on Homerton High Street in Hackney on Wednesday 25 March 2026, marking the 60th anniversary of the death of Edith Watson.
Edith was born in 1888 at the exact site that later became the John Howard Centre, one of two sites for forensic services in east London. She dedicated much of her adult life to improving women’s suffrage, including joining the Women’s Freedom League in 1911 – an organisation aiming to secure women’s right to vote in British elections.
Across her distinguished life, Edith also co-founded the Women’s Volunteer Police Service, a voluntary organisation tasked with protecting women from violence. She also championed divorce law reform, exposed injustices in mental health institutions, and raised awareness of female genital mutilation decades before it was widely discussed.
The plaque unveiling was part of a new initiative from the Hackney Society, a membership organisation celebrating Hackney’s rich heritage. The association will be marking the contributions of additional community advocates with further plaque unveilings in the coming months.
Commenting on the plaque installation, Director of Forensic Services, Lawford Clough, said: “It was a privilege to collaborate with the Hackney Society to commemorate a remarkable woman. I am delighted that the John Howard Centre had the honour of being the site of the first of many celebrations.
“Thank you to colleagues and partners for joining us for the special day.”
Janet Chapman, the Chair of the Hackney Society, added: “We are immensely proud of the history, architecture and character of the borough, and thoroughly enjoyed working with ELFT to honour Edith Watson.
“We look forward to sharing further details in the near future about more plaques that we will be unveiling.”
If you would like to learn more about the Hackney Society’s work, you can visit its website.