Cynthia Jarrett Memorial

Theme(s): Broadwater Farm

Keystage: KS4

BGA reference: BG/P/13/4/1

This photograph of Bernie Grant, who at the time was the leader of Haringey Council, Neil Kinnock, who was the leader of the Labour Party and Cynthia’s husband Boysie at the first anniversary memorial of her death in November 1986.

Cynthia Jarrett who died on the 5th October 1985 is one of three black women who died or were gravely injured as a result of police actions, and who’s death became highly symbolic for many. The other cases were those of Dorothy “Cherry” Groce in 1985 in Brixton and Joy Gardner in 1993.

Cynthia died after four police officers went to search her home that was near Broadwater Farm on Mount Pleasant Road in Tottenham looking for stolen property that belonged to her son. In the process of doing so, the panic and upset caused Mrs Jarrett to collapse. She died from a heart attack.

Earlier in the day, Mrs Jarrett’s son Floyd had been in custody at Tottenham police station having been arrested (but later acquitted) of being in a car with an allegedly false tax disc, theft and assault. It was this arrest that prompted the police to visit the house.

The death of Mrs Jarrett caused the already heightened tensions in the area to mount and triggered the Broadwater Farm disturbances the 6th October 1985, the worst disturbances ever seen on mainland Britain, in which a policeman died. This is because a week earlier on the 28th September 1985 in Brixton, Dorothy “Cherry” Groce was shot by an armed CID officer after searching the house for her son Micheal, who was not even there. She was paralysed below the waist but after her death in 2011 an inquest in 2014 concluded that her death was directly linked to her shooting.

Bernie Grant, who at the time was the leader of Haringey Council and as the first, thus most high profile black leader at the time, released a statement condemning the police for the way they searched Mrs Jarrett’s house. He said: ‘For the second time in a week, a black woman has been killed by officers of the state. Police behaviour is totally unacceptable. The force is out of control. The local police chiefs should resign immediately if any faith is to be restored. Haringey Council will ensure Mrs Jarrett’s name is remembered as a victim of state oppression.’

He saw the disturbances as a response by young people to the pressures which had been building up for some years and refused to condemn them. The death of one of their mothers had caused outrage. He explained that the youth on the estate believed that the ‘police got a bloody good hiding’, a statement which attracted enormous criticism from some and acclaim from others.

He supported the Jarrett family in their search for answers about the death of Cynthia and commissioned an independent enquiry, the Gifford Report of July 1986 that criticised the police’s action and attributed them as being the cause of the disturbance. Despite this, an inquest ruled Mrs Jarrett’s death an accident and no police officer was held to account for her death.

How the artefact can support your teaching and students’ learning

Understanding Cynthia Jarrett through the archive shows the impact migrants had on Britain and the hostility that Britain’s Government showed to them over the years. Her death contextualises the issues around Britain’s multiracial society, mass migration from the Caribbean after World War II due to Britain’s depleted labour force and growing employment opportunities, the relationship between people from the Caribbean who lived under Empire rule and their ‘mother country’, Britain. Her death highlights the factors involved in migration and the methods used by people to express their views about the Government and official agencies treatment of people. It illustrates the changing face of Government legislation to race, equality, immigration and police enforcement. In addition, her death reveals the intersectionality of being a black woman in Britain and in a high profile event in relation to the men both black and white who were also involved in the disturbances.

The case of Cynthia Jarrett can be used for

History KS3, GCSE and A-Level

Interpret contemporary history requirements from KS3 – KS5 by focusing on the experience of immigrants to post-war Britain from the 1940s onward and looking at the reasons why people from the Caribbean moved on mass to Britain during this time, the experiences they have faced living in Britain and looking at the progress of equality, diversity, inclusion and racism in Britain has changed over time.

Citizenship KS4/GCSE, GCSE/A-Level Sociology, GCSE Media, A-Level Politics and Law A-Level

Understand the roles undertaken by people within the legal system to affect change and how this is pivotal to our justice system.
How the role of pressure and interest groups, play an important part in providing a voice and support for different groups in society campaigning to bring about a legal change or to fight injustice.
Know there are different forms of democratic and citizenship actions people can take to bring about change and hold those in positions of power to account in regard to issues relating to human rights and the justice system.
Gain insight into why mutual respect and understanding, and community cohesion are important in a democratic society.
Students can also understand the reasons why people migrate from one place to another, especially in and out of the UK over the last 60 years.
Understand the role that politicians can play supporting their communities
Lastly, students can understand how people are represented in the media and law.

Linking the artefacts to the present day

The ongoing debate as to whether the police are ‘institutionally racist’ and comparing to present day campaigns, e.g. Black Lives Matter
The current state of race relations in Britain and how events contribute to and/or help diminish racial tensions and the juxtaposition of Britain’s reputation for racial tolerance.
The Government’s and official agencies reactions and action to race and equality especially when challenged
The changing face of migration to and from Britain
The public, political and media reactions to female deaths in relation to men
Other high profile deaths that involved the police since 1985
The public, political and media reactions large scale racial incidents such as the Windrush Scandal or Grenfell Tower
The uneven way that the law is applied to people of African and Caribbean heritage and how men and women are affected differently