Emily Davies
Encyclopedia
Sarah Emily Davies was an English
feminist, suffragist and a pioneering campaigners fore women's rights
to university
access. She was born in Southampton
, England to an evangelical
clergyman and a teacher in 1830, although she spent most of her youth in Gateshead
. She is principally remembered as being the co-founder and first Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University, the first college in England to educate women.
In 1862, after the death of her father, Davies moved to London
, where she edited a feminist publication, The Englishwoman's Journal, and became friends with women's rights advocates Barbara Bodichon
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
and her younger sister Millicent Fawcett
. Davies became a founder member of a women's discussion group, the Kensington Society
.
Davies began campaigning for a woman's right to educate. She was active on the London School Board
and in the Schools Inquiry Commission and was instrumental in obtaining the admission of girls to official secondary school
examinations.
She then advocated for the admission of women to the Universities of London
, Oxford
and Cambridge
. Like all universities at this time, these were exclusively male domains.
She also became involved in the Suffrage
movement, which centred on a woman's right to vote. She was involved in organizing for John Stuart Mill
's 1866 petition to the British Parliament
) which was the first to ask for women's suffrage. That same year, she also wrote the book The Higher Education of Women.
In 1869, Davies led the founding of Britain's
first women's college, Girton College
at Hitchin
, Hertfordshire
. In 1873, the institution moved to Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
. From 1873 to 1875, Davies served as mistress of the college, where she then served as Secretary until 1904. The college was not permitted to grant full Cambridge University degrees to women until 1940.
Davies also continued her suffrage work. In 1906, she headed a delegation to Parliament. She was known for opposing the militant and violent methods used by the Suffragette part of the women's suffrage movement, led by the Pankhursts.
In 1910, Davies published Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women. She died in 1921.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
feminist, suffragist and a pioneering campaigners fore women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
to university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
access. She was born in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England to an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
clergyman and a teacher in 1830, although she spent most of her youth in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
. She is principally remembered as being the co-founder and first Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University, the first college in England to educate women.
In 1862, after the death of her father, Davies moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she edited a feminist publication, The Englishwoman's Journal, and became friends with women's rights advocates Barbara Bodichon
Barbara Bodichon
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon was an English educationalist, artist, and a leading early nineteenth century feminist and activist for women's rights.-Early life:...
, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, LSA, MD , was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain and the first female mayor in England.-Early life:...
and her younger sister Millicent Fawcett
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE was an English suffragist and an early feminist....
. Davies became a founder member of a women's discussion group, the Kensington Society
Kensington society
The Kensington Society formed in London, England in March 1865. It developed as a forum where rising suffragists discussed women's rights organized their campaign for female suffrage, education and property holding....
.
Davies began campaigning for a woman's right to educate. She was active on the London School Board
London School Board
The School Board for London was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London....
and in the Schools Inquiry Commission and was instrumental in obtaining the admission of girls to official secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
examinations.
She then advocated for the admission of women to the Universities of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Like all universities at this time, these were exclusively male domains.
She also became involved in the Suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
movement, which centred on a woman's right to vote. She was involved in organizing for John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
's 1866 petition to the British Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
) which was the first to ask for women's suffrage. That same year, she also wrote the book The Higher Education of Women.
In 1869, Davies led the founding of Britain's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
first women's college, Girton College
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
at Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. In 1873, the institution moved to Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. From 1873 to 1875, Davies served as mistress of the college, where she then served as Secretary until 1904. The college was not permitted to grant full Cambridge University degrees to women until 1940.
Davies also continued her suffrage work. In 1906, she headed a delegation to Parliament. She was known for opposing the militant and violent methods used by the Suffragette part of the women's suffrage movement, led by the Pankhursts.
In 1910, Davies published Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women. She died in 1921.
External links and references
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- About.com profile of Emily Davies, Jone Johnson Lewis, accessed Feb. 3 2007
- Columbia Encyclopedia entry via Questia
Further reading
- Sarah Emily Davies,The Higher Education of Women [1866], Adamant Media Corporation (2006), ISBN 978-0-543-98292-6
- Daphne Bennett - Emily Davies and the Liberation of Women (André Deutsch, 1990) ISBN 978-0-233-98494-0
- Ann B. Murphy and Deirdre Raftery (eds) - Emily Davies: Collected Letters, 1861-1875 (University of Virginia Press, 2003) ISBN 978-0-8139-2232-4
- Barbara Nightingale Stephen - Emily Davies and Girton College (Hyperion, 1976) ISBN 978-0-88355-282-7
- Forster, Margaret. Significant Sisters, Secker and Warburg, 1984 ISBN 978-0-14-008172-5