Members of the public are being invited to nominate women in their family to be commemorated with England’s iconic blue plaques.
Leading family history website Ancestry has partnered with Historic England for this year’s National Blue Plaque Scheme.
Historic England took over responsibility for the Blue Plaque Scheme across England in 2023.
As of 2023, only 15% of blue plaques in London commemorated women.
Members of the public are now identified to nominate female ancestors in their family who deserve a blue plaque via Ancestry’s website.
To be eligible, your ancestor must be a girl or woman who is likely to have appeared in the 1921 census for England and Wales, which is available on Ancestry.
She must also meet the criteria for the National Blue Plaque Scheme, which are:
- She must have died at least 20 years ago.
- She must have made a significant contribution to human welfare or happiness; and/or exceptional impact in her field or community or on society at large.
- There must be one building in England associated with her, which must survive in a form that she would have recognised, and be visible from a public highway.
Nominations are open until 10 July. The nomination form is available here.
Ancestry is also offering 14-day free trials to explore all its website records, including the 1921 census.
The news comes as Historic England has unveiled a blue plaque to pioneering actress and director Esmé Church in Bradford, currently the UK City of Culture 2025.
Church (pictured above on the right with Margaret Lockwood) made her London stage debut in 1921 and joined the Old Vic Company in 1927, where she performed major Shakespearean roles such as Lady Macbeth and Gertrude. Her career as a director began in 1931 when she became Artistic Director of the Greyhound Theatre in Croydon.
In Bradford she served as Artistic Director at the Bradford Civic Playhouse from 1944 to 1950.
The plaque was unveiled at 26 Chapel Street, Bradford, where Church founded and ran the Northern Theatre School, by her 3x great nieces Esmé and Carys Durham and Megan Wilson, company director of Purple Stage Theatres.
Neil Mendoza, chair of Historic England, said: “Esmé Church was a formidable force in British theatre - an actor, director, and teacher whose influence shaped generations of performers. Like so many trailblazing women, working in the 1920s and 1930s, her legacy has not received the national recognition it deserves. By unveiling this blue plaque in Bradford, we honour not only her immense contribution to the dramatic arts, but also the power of West Yorkshire's creativity in shaping our national story.”
