Elizabeth Phillips Hughes
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Phillips Hughes (12 July 1851 – 19 December 1925) was a Welsh
scholar, teacher, and promoter of women's education
. She used the bardic name
Merch Myrddin.
Born in Carmarthenshire
, she had little education as a child, but later attended a private school, eventually becoming a teacher at Cheltenham Ladies' College
. She also attended Newnham College, Cambridge
, becoming the first woman in the university to take first-class honours. In 1884, she was appointed Principal of the Cambridge Training College for Women, later Hughes Hall
. In 1899, however, she left Cambridge for good, returning to Wales where she continued to campaign for better secondary education. She was the only woman on the committee which drafted the charter of the University of Wales
, and in 1920, she received an honorary degree from that university.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
scholar, teacher, and promoter of women's education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. She used the bardic name
Bardic name
A bardic name is a pseudonym, used in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement....
Merch Myrddin.
Born in Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, she had little education as a child, but later attended a private school, eventually becoming a teacher at Cheltenham Ladies' College
Cheltenham Ladies' College
The Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.-History:The school was founded in 1853...
. She also attended Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
, becoming the first woman in the university to take first-class honours. In 1884, she was appointed Principal of the Cambridge Training College for Women, later Hughes Hall
Hughes Hall, Cambridge
Hughes Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It is often informally called Hughes, and is the oldest of the four Cambridge colleges which admit only mature students...
. In 1899, however, she left Cambridge for good, returning to Wales where she continued to campaign for better secondary education. She was the only woman on the committee which drafted the charter of the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, and in 1920, she received an honorary degree from that university.