Nellie Neilson
Encyclopedia
Nellie Neilson was an American
historian
.
to William George Neilson (a metallurgical engineer) and Mary Louise Neilson. She attended Bryn Mawr College
, from which she received an A.B.
in 1893, an A.M. in 1894, and a Ph.D.
in 1899. She studied under Charles McLean Andrews
at Bryn Mawr, and spent a year of her Ph.D. studies in England
, where she studied under Frederic Maitland
and Paul Vinogradoff
. Neilson would later credit Andrews with encouraging her to study history rather than English literature.
She taught at Agnes Irwin School
in Philadelphia from 1897 to 1900, and lectured at Bryn Mawr from 1900 to 1902. In 1902 she moved to Mount Holyoke College
as an instructor in history, and in 1904 was appointed professor of European history there. She rose to the rank of full professor in 1905, and stayed in that position until retiring from teaching in 1939. Neilson graduated from Bryn Mawr – and later worked at Holyoke – with fellow medievalist Bertha Putnam
.
In 1926 she was elected a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America
, the first woman so elected; and in 1943 she served as the president of the American Historical Association
, the first woman to do so.
She died in 1947 in South Hadley, Massachusetts
.
in the Middle Ages. She continued to be primarily concerned with the development of rural medieval England thereafter. She edited three surveys of the lands owned by English monasteries, focusing particularly on the economic and social conditions surrounding them. In addition, she wrote some volumes for nonspecialists and some works on medieval legal systems.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Biography
Neilson was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to William George Neilson (a metallurgical engineer) and Mary Louise Neilson. She attended Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, from which she received an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1893, an A.M. in 1894, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1899. She studied under Charles McLean Andrews
Charles McLean Andrews
Charles McLean Andrews was one of the most distinguished American historians of his time and widely recognized as a leading authority on American colonial history...
at Bryn Mawr, and spent a year of her Ph.D. studies in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where she studied under Frederic Maitland
Frederic William Maitland
Frederic William Maitland was an English jurist and historian, generally regarded as the modern father of English legal history.-Biography:...
and Paul Vinogradoff
Paul Vinogradoff
Sir Paul Vinogradoff November 1854, Kostroma, Russia– 19 December 1925, Paris, France) was a highly reputable Anglo-Russian historian-medievalist.-Career:...
. Neilson would later credit Andrews with encouraging her to study history rather than English literature.
She taught at Agnes Irwin School
Agnes Irwin School
The Agnes Irwin School is an all-girls', non-sectarian, day school for students in grades PreK-12. The School has been a leader in girls' education since 1869, when it was founded by Miss Agnes Irwin of Philadelphia. Agnes Irwin, a great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, later became the...
in Philadelphia from 1897 to 1900, and lectured at Bryn Mawr from 1900 to 1902. In 1902 she moved to Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
as an instructor in history, and in 1904 was appointed professor of European history there. She rose to the rank of full professor in 1905, and stayed in that position until retiring from teaching in 1939. Neilson graduated from Bryn Mawr – and later worked at Holyoke – with fellow medievalist Bertha Putnam
Bertha Putnam
Bertha Haven Putnam was an American historian, specialising on the judicial and administrative history of medieval England....
.
In 1926 she was elected a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America
Medieval Academy of America
The Medieval Academy of America is the largest organization in the United States promoting excellence in the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
, the first woman so elected; and in 1943 she served as the president of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
, the first woman to do so.
She died in 1947 in South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,514 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
Scholarly work
Neilson's first major work was her doctoral dissertation, Economic Conditions on the Manors of Ramsey Abbey, in which she investigated the economic affairs of the lands held by Ramsey AbbeyRamsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
in the Middle Ages. She continued to be primarily concerned with the development of rural medieval England thereafter. She edited three surveys of the lands owned by English monasteries, focusing particularly on the economic and social conditions surrounding them. In addition, she wrote some volumes for nonspecialists and some works on medieval legal systems.
Selected works
- Economic Conditions on the Manors of Ramsey Abbey (1899)
- Customary Rents (1910)
- Survey of the Honour of Denbigh (1914)
- The Terrier of Fleet Lincolnshire (1920)
- The Cartulary of Bilsington Kent (1927)
- Mediaeval Agrarian Economy (1936)