The Association for the Education of Women or Association for Promoting the Higher Education of Women in Oxford (AEW) was formed in 1878 to promote the education of women at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. It provided lectures and tutorials for students at the four women's halls in Oxford, as well as for female students living at home or in lodgings and was dissolved in 1920 when women were admitted as members of the university.

History

in 1873 a Lectures for Women Committee was set up by a group of Oxford women, including the "don's wives"

Louise Creighton Louise Hume Creighton (née von Glehn; 7 July 1850 – 15 April 1936) was a British author of books on historical and sociopolitical topics, and an activist for a greater representation of women in society, including women's suffrage, and in t ...

Charlotte Byron Green Charlotte Byron Green born Charlotte Byron Symonds (12 August 1842 – 4 September 1929) was a British promoter of women's education. She supported Somerville College from its foundation. Life Green was born at Berkeley Square in Bristol in 1842. ...

Bertha Johnson Bertha Jane Johnson (20 January 1846 – 24 April 1927), née Todd, was the principal of the Society of Oxford Home-Students, which would become St Anne's College, University of Oxford, and a campaigner for women's education. Life Bertha J. Todd ...

Lavinia Talbot Hon. Lavinia Lyttelton (4 January 1849 – 9 October 1939) was a British promoter of women's education in the United Kingdom. Life Lavinia Lyttelton was born in London in 1849. She was the seventh child of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton an ...

and

Mary Ward Mary Ward may refer to: Scientists and academics * Mary Ward (nurse) (1884–1972) English nurse to the boat people on the waterways * Mary Ward (scientist) (née King, 1827–1869) Irish amateur scientist, was killed by an experimental steam car ...

who were later involved in the AEW. The lectures started in 1874 and were given by university academics such as Arthur Johnson,

William Stubbs William Stubbs (21 June 182522 April 1901) was an English historian and Anglican bishop. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford between 1866 and 1884. He was Bishop of Chester from 1884 to 1889 and Bishop of O ...

and

Henry Nettleship Henry Nettleship (5 May 1839 – 10 July 1893) was an English classical scholar. Life Nettleship was born at Kettering, and was educated at Lancing College, Durham School and Charterhouse schools, and gained a scholarship for entry to Corpus Chri ...

. The association was formed at a meeting at Jesus College in 1878 and G G Bradley, the Master of University College, Oxford was chosen as the first chairman. It was realised that a new hall in Oxford was required where women students could live whilst at university. The consensus was split on religious grounds and some wanted a hall which ignored a woman's denomination whilst others like

supported a hall for Anglo Catholics. The first women's halls at the university, the Anglican Lady Margaret Hall and the denomination free

Somerville Hall Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Iri ...

, opened in 1879. Two further women's halls were St Hugh's Hall, founded by

Elizabeth Wordsworth Dame Elizabeth Wordsworth (1840–1932) was founding Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and she funded and founded St Hugh's College. She was also an author, sometimes writing under the name Grant Lloyd. Life Wordsworth was born in 18 ...

in 1886, and St Hilda's Hall, founded by

Dorothea Beale Dorothea Beale LL.D. (21 March 1831 – 9 November 1906) was a suffragist, educational reformer and author. As Principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College, she became the founder of St Hilda's College, Oxford. Early and family life Dorothea Beale ...

in 1893. A number of non-resident students also enrolled in 1879 and were supervised by the Lady Secretary of the AEW until a principal was appointed in 1893. The AEW was their parent organisation until 1910. The term ''Home-Students'' was used from 1891 and ''Society of Oxford Home-Students'' from 1898. The society received a royal charter as St Anne's College in 1952. The AEW organised lectures and tutorials for female students at all the women's halls. At first lectures were held in rooms above a baker’s shop in

Little Clarendon Street Little Clarendon Street is a short shopping street in northwest Oxford, England. It runs east-west between the south end of Woodstock Road opposite St Giles' Church to the east, Somerville College to the north and Walton Street to the west ...

and later in a former Baptist Chapel in Alfred Street (now

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). From 1880 women students began to be admitted to lectures at the men's colleges. The halls were originally intended to be hostels, leaving teaching to the AEW. However they gradually started to employ their own tutors, starting at Somerville with Lilla Haigh in 1882 and at LMH with Eleanor Lodge in 1895. A dispute with Somerville over the appointment of tutors led to the resignation of Bertha Johnson as Lady Secretary of the AEW in 1894. Examinations were initially administered by the Delegacy for Local Examinations: at first female students took the delegacy’s certificate for women over 18, but from 1884 they could take the university's honours examination papers, starting with classics, mathematics, modern history and natural science. In 1910 the University set up a Delegacy for Women Students, for the first time officially recognising their existence and allowing them to take university exams. The delegacy took over the registration of women students and their entry for examinations from the AEW, as well as the supervision of the Society of Oxford Home-Students. In 1895

's widow Matilda donated his library to the AEW where it formed a shared collection for all women students, based in the attics of the

Clarendon Building Clarendon Building is an early 18th-century neoclassical building of the University of Oxford. It is in Broad Street, Oxford, England, next to the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre and near the centre of the city. It was built betwee ...

. It later became the library of the Society of Oxford Home-Students. In 1920 women were allowed to become members of the university and receive degrees. The first matriculation ceremony was on 7 October 1920 and the first degrees were awarded on 14 October 1920. The AEW was wound up in 1920, followed in 1921 by the Delegacy for Women Students. The women honorary secretaries of the AEW were:

(1880–1883),

(1883–1894) and

Annie Rogers Annie Mary Anne Henley Rogers (15 February 1856 – 28 October 1937) was a British promoter of women's education. She had an offer of a university place at the University of Oxford withdrawn when it was realised that the candidate was female. S ...

(1894–1920).

References

Sources

* * * * {{cite web, url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol3 , editor1-last=Salter , editor1-first=H. E. , editor2-last=Lobel , editor2-first=Mary D. , title=A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3, the University of Oxford, year=1954, publisher=Victoria County History

External links

University of Oxford's First Women at Oxford website
History of the University of Oxford Former women's universities and colleges in the United Kingdom 1878 establishments in England 1920 disestablishments in England