THE OXFORD suffrage flag will fly over the city on Friday, to mark 100 years since British and Irish women first voted.

A host of Oxford University colleges and departments, and some local schools, will fly the recreated flag, as part of a year of ongoing commemorations.

The 1918 election was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act, which gave women over 30 the right to vote.

Oxford Professor Senia Paseta, who co-directs Women in Humanities, said: "The history of suffrage, and women’s history in general, are really vibrant areas of research. It has been a pleasure to see this reflected in high-profile events throughout 2018."

"Oxford itself has a rich history in the campaign for women’s suffrage, beginning in the late 19th century and gaining real momentum with the foundation of the Oxford Women’s Suffrage Society in 1904."

She continued: "The distinctive Oxford suffrage flag has been recreated to mark the anniversary and will be visible across the city skyline on Friday. We hope that people will look out for it and remember those who campaigned tirelessly more than a century ago for women’s citizenship rights."

The Oxford suffrage flag – depicting the city’s patron saint, St Frideswide – was produced by a local women’s suffrage group in 1908 and has been recreated for the centenary based on a pencil sketch that featured in the Oxford Times.

Among Oxford’s most prominent women’s suffrage campaigners is Emily Wilding Davison, who achieved first-class honours in English in the Oxford University exam for women, but was unable to graduate as Oxford degrees were closed to women at that time. She died at the Epsom Derby in 1913, when she was fatally injured by the King’s horse.