Hon. Ellen Joyce

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

CStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

born Ellen Rice (12 January 1832 – 21 May 1924) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

organiser of women's emigration from the UK. She started and ran the British Women's Emigration Association.

Life

She was the eldest child of Francis Rice, 5th Baron Dynevor and Harriett Ives Barker. Her younger brother was

Arthur Rice, 6th Baron Dynevor Arthur de Cardonnel FitzUryan Rice, 6th Baron Dynevor (24 January 1836 – 8 June 1911), was a British peer. Life He was the son of Francis William Rice, 5th Baron Dynevor, and Harriett Ives Barker. His elder sister, Ellen Joyce, was a pio ...

. Her father was an Anglican clergyman and the vicar of

Fairford Fairford is a town in Gloucestershire, England. The town lies in the Cotswold hills on the River Coln, east of Cirencester, west of Lechlade and north of Swindon. Nearby are RAF Fairford and the Cotswold Water Park. History Evidence of se ...

. Ellen Rice married the Reverend James Gerald Joyce (1819-78) on 20 September 1855. He was rector of

Stratfield Saye Stratfield Saye is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane and the English county of Hampshire. The parish includes the hamlets of West End Green, Fair Oak Green and Fair Cross. Etymology The name means 'Street-F ...

from 1855 until his death, but his interests were in archaeology and he led excavations at

Calleva Atrebatum Calleva Atrebatum ("Calleva of the Atrebates") was an Iron Age oppidum, the capital of the Atrebates tribe. It then became a walled town in the Roman province of Britannia, at a major crossroads of the roads of southern Britain. The modern villa ...

where he discovered the

Silchester eagle The Silchester eagle is a Roman bronze casting dating from the first or second century CE, uncovered in 1866 at Calleva Atrebatum in Silchester, Hampshire, England. It was purchased in 1980 by Reading Museum in Berkshire where it remains on disp ...

in 1866. He and Ellen had one son Arthur Gerald Joyce in 1856. In 1883 the

Girls' Friendly Society The Girls' Friendly Society In England And Wales (or just GFS) is a charitable organisation that empowers girls and young women aged 5 to 25, encouraging them to develop their full potential through programs that provide training, confidence bu ...

appointed Joyce as their "emigration correspondent". Joyce had been one of the GFS's seventy-five founding associates and she wanted to support emigration, but she was aware of the risks that girls would be exposed to. Parties of women travelling with the GFS were given "anchor crosses" to place on their luggage. In 1884 she founded the United Englishwomen's Emigration Association. Later that year Joyce and her son Arthur accompanied 80 GFS emigrants across the Atlantic. She travelled across Canada using the

Canadian Pacific Railroad The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

that was then incomplete but getting to the western shore. When she returned she reported her success to the GFS, but her new organisation was taking off. The following year it had its own finances and by 1888 it had to change its name to the "United British Women's Emigration Association" as Scottish emigrants of the "Scotch Girl's Friendly Association" and the "Scottish YWCA" also wanted to travel under her organisation's banner. Joyce was able to decide who was the right type of emigrants as she saw that the emigration could create a better British Empire. She would speak at Church congresses noting the Christianising and moral improvement made possible by the new women emigrants sent by her organisation. This mission lead to organisation to send less women as they tried to identify the very best emigrants who could assist in improving the country they were emigrating to. At first the emigrants were bound for Canada, New Zealand and Australia but as the century ended there was growing interest in South Africa. Joyce interviewed

Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

for BWEA journal, ''The Imperial Colonist'' about the need for women in South Africa in 1902 and with her regret the committee that the organisation formed to oversee the interest became independent as the "South African Colonisation Society" in 1903.

Louisa Knightley Louisa Mary Knightley, Lady Knightley (25 April 1842 – 2 October 1913) was a British Anglican and women's rights activist. Life Born on Lower Grosvenor Street in London as Louisa Bowater, she was the daughter of General Edward Bowater an ...

was president of the South African Colonisation Society and she was the editor of the ''Imperial Colonist'' journal from 1901 to 1913. Joyce lead the United British Women's Emigration Association, but her role in the GFS continued. In the

1920 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1920 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1920 and 30 March 1920 (referred to as the 1920 civil ...

, Joyce became a

in recognition of her work as Vice-President of the

British Women's Emigration Association Hon. Ellen Joyce CBE CStJ born Ellen Rice (12 January 1832 – 21 May 1924) was a British organiser of women's emigration from the UK. She started and ran the British Women's Emigration Association. Life She was the eldest child of Francis Rice ...

. A fellow awardee was Grace Lefroy who was the honorary secretary of the same association. She died in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

in 1924.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Ellen 1832 births 1924 deaths British activists People from Cotswold District People from Stratfield Saye Daughters of barons