Fonds GB 0106 9/04 - Female Education: (Autograph Letter Collection)

1 volume

GB 0106 9/04 c. 1850-1951 Fonds 1 volume Various

Until the end of the nineteenth century, most middle-class girls were educated at home by the family, unlike their brothers who routinely attended university, and the schools which did cater for them were generally of a very poor academic standard, with emphasis on 'accomplishments' such as embroidery and music. However, some, such as Louisa Martindale, tried to start their own schools for girls with more academically demanding curricula. Despite the failure of Martindale's exercise, Frances Mary Buss followed in her footsteps when, at the age of twenty-three, she founded the North London Collegiate School for Ladies with similar aims. In 1858 Dorothea Beale became Principal of the already extant Cheltenham Ladies College and soon transformed it into one of the most academically successful schools in the country while at the same time working to improve teaching standards through her work with the Head Mistresses' Association and The Teachers' Guild. In 1865 Beale began collaborating with Emily Davis, Barbara Bodichon, Helen Taylor, Frances Buss, and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, in forming a debating society which became known as the Kensington Society. There, these women, who would be crucial in the development of these schools, met for the first time to discuss this and other topics such as women's franchise. Nor did they confine their attentions to the education of girls but also researched the question of the subsequent entrance of women into higher education. The Queen's College in London had already opened in 1847 to provide a superior level of education to governesses and had proved a success without being an accredited institution of higher education itself. In this context and influenced by the London group, a large number of Ladies' Educational Associations sprang up throughout the 1860s and 1870s. Those in Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, etc, were brought together in 1867 by Anne Clough as the North of England Council for Promoting the Higher Education of Women and its members included Josephine and George Butler as well as Elizabeth Wolstenholme-Elmy. This council began setting up a series of lectures and a university-based examination for women who wished to become teachers and which would later develop into a University Extension Scheme. However, universities generally still refused to open their degree examinations to women. In 1871, Henry Sidgwick established the residence Newnham College for women who were attending lectures at Cambridge where Clough would become principal in 1879 when it was recognised as an academic college. Girton was established by Davis as the College for Women at Hitchin in 1869 and moved to Cambridge as the first residential higher education college for women four years later. After the campaign to establish these institutions, it remained necessary to continue the campaign to extend their levels of excellence to the general state of female education and to open up other avenues of achievement to them.

The collection consists of a letters written on the question of women's education. Writers include John Hullah, Emily Davis, Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Rev. F. D. Maurice, Mrs Grote, Helen Taylor, Mr W Cowper, Eliza Orme, Sir Edward Ryan, Professor J R Seeley, Frances Martin, Helen Gladstone, Anne Clough, Miss C F Gordon-Cumming, Prof Morley, Mr Henry Sidgwick, Mrs Eleanor Sidgwick, Elizabeth Wordsworth, Miss Helen Stoehr, Frances Power Cobbe, Lady Stanley of Alderley, Lady Frances Balfour, Sarah Lyttleton, Gertrude M Wilson, Maria Grey, Miss C L Maynard, Emma Cons, Dr Sophie Bryant, Dr Maria Montessori, Archbishop of Canterbury, Elizabeth Haldane, Bertha Johnson, Mr H A L Fisher, Margaret McMillan, Dame Emmeline Tanner and Ethel Strudwick.

Arranged in chronological order.

The collection is open for consultation. Intending readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

English

Abstracts of individual letters in the autograph letters collection were written and held alongside the letters. This work was done from the 1960s by volunteers including Nan Taylor. In 2004 Jean Holder completed a 3 year project to list the letters, copy-type the abstracts, and repackage the letters to meet preservation needs. In 2005 Vicky Wylde and Teresa Doherty proof read and imported the entries to the Special Collections Catalogue.

The original card index of all correspondents, including date of letter and volume reference, is available on the microfiche.

A copy of this archive is available on microfilm held at The Women's Library.

Other collections within The Women's Library Strand 9 which may be of interest include 9/01 Women's Suffrage, 9/02 General Women’s Movement, 9/03 Emancipation of Women, 9/09 Suffrage and Women in Industry, 9/22 Scholars and Learned Ladies.

Further papers of Emily Davis are held by Girton College, Cambridge.

Described by Liza Giffen, The Women's Library. Catalogue by Jean Holder, Vicky Wylde and Teresa Doherty 2005. Edited for AIM25 by Sarah Drewery. In compliance with ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, 1995; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997. 20/08/2002 Tanner , Dame , Emmeline Mary , 1876-1955 , headmistress and educational reformer Strudwick , Ethel , 1880-1954 , headmistress Stanley , Lady , Henrietta Maria , 1807-1895 , wife of Edward John Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley Bryant , Sophia , 1850-1922 , educationalist Europe Western Europe UK Lenwood , Gertrude Margaret , d 1971 , née Wilson Johnson , Bertha Jane , 1846-1927 , née Todd , promoter of women's higher education Haldane , Elizabeth Sanderson , 1862-1937 , Scottish social worker and author Fisher , Herbert Albert Laurens , 1865-1940 , historian and statesman Grey , Maria Georgina , 1816-1906 , nee Shirreff , promoter of women's education Cumming , Constance Frederica , Gordon- , 1837-1924 , traveller and author Balfour , Lady , Frances , 1858-1931 , nee Campbell , suffragist leader and churchwoman Gladstone , Helen , 1849-1925 , Vice Principal of Newnham College Cambridge Grote , Harriet , 1792-1878 , née Lewin , biographer , wife of George Grote Wordsworth , Dame , Elizabeth , 1840-1932 , called Grant Lloyd , principal of Lady Margaret Hall and novelist Taylor , Helen , 1831-1907 , suffragist Cons , Emma , 1838-1912 , social reformer, educationalist and theatre manager Seeley , Sir , John Robert , 1834-1895 , Knight , historian Sidgwick , Eleanor Mildred , 1845-1936 , Principal of Newnham College Cambridge Ryan , Sir , Edward , 1793-1875 , Knight , judge Cobbe , Frances Power , 1822-1904 , writer and campaigner for women Clough , Anne Jemima , 1820-1892 , suffragist Hullah , John Pyke , 1812-1884 , composer and organist Fawcett , Dame , Millicent Garrett , 1847-1929 , feminist and suffragist Montessori , Maria , 1870-1952 , physician and educator Maurice , John Frederick Denison , 1805-1872 , theologian and Christian Socialist Maynard , Constance Louisa , 1849-1935 , Mistress of Westfield College McMillan , Margaret , 1860-1931 , physical educator Women Sex Sex distribution Education Orme , Eliza , 1848-1937 , social activist and lawyer London England

The collection consists of a letters written on the question of women's education. Writers include John Hullah, Emily Davis, Millicent Garrett Fawcett, Rev. F. D. Maurice, Mrs Grote, Helen Taylor, Mr W Cowper, Eliza Orme, Sir Edward Ryan, Professor J R Seeley, Frances Martin, Helen Gladstone, Anne Clough, Miss C F Gordon-Cumming, Prof Morley, Mr Henry Sidgwick, Mrs Eleanor Sidgwick, Elizabeth Wordsworth, Miss Helen Stoehr, Frances Power Cobbe, Lady Stanley of Alderley, Lady Frances Balfour, Sarah Lyttleton, Gertrude M Wilson, Maria Grey, Miss C L Maynard, Emma Cons, Dr Sophie Bryant, Dr Maria Montessori, Archbishop of Canterbury, Elizabeth Haldane, Bertha Johnson, Mr H A L Fisher, Margaret McMillan, Dame Emmeline Tanner and Ethel Strudwick.

Arranged in chronological order.

The collection is open for consultation. Intending readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

• English

• Latin

English

Other collections within The Women's Library Strand 9 which may be of interest include 9/01 Women's Suffrage, 9/02 General Women’s Movement, 9/03 Emancipation of Women, 9/09 Suffrage and Women in Industry, 9/22 Scholars and Learned Ladies.

Abstracts of individual letters in the autograph letters collection were written and held alongside the letters. This work was done from the 1960s by volunteers including Nan Taylor. In 2004 Jean Holder completed a 3 year project to list the letters, copy-type the abstracts, and repackage the letters to meet preservation needs. In 2005 Vicky Wylde and Teresa Doherty proof read and imported the entries to the Special Collections Catalogue.

The original card index of all correspondents, including date of letter and volume reference, is available on the microfiche.

A copy of this archive is available on microfilm held at The Women's Library.

Further papers of Emily Davis are held by Girton College, Cambridge.

In compliance with ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, 1995; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

• English