Elizabeth Jesser Reid (; 25 December 1789 – 1 April 1866) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

social reformer A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

anti-slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

activist and philanthropist. She is best remembered as the founder of Bedford College.

Biography

Early life

Elisabeth Jesser Sturch was born in 1789 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Her father, William Sturch, was a wealthy Unitarian ironmonger. In 1821, she married Dr John Reid. Dr Reid had inherited land in Northumbria and on the River Clyde at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

that had become valuable as the port grew in size. His death in July 1822 gave Mrs Reid an independent income, which she used to help various philanthropic causes.

Activism

Active in liberal Unitarian circles, Reid was an anti-slavery activist, attending the

World Anti-Slavery Convention The World Anti-Slavery Convention met for the first time at Exeter Hall in London, on 12–23 June 1840. It was organised by the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, largely on the initiative of the English Quaker Joseph Sturge. The ex ...

in London in 1840. She met

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (''née'' Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongs ...

and the other American female delegates who had been denied the right to speak at the convention. and taking a close interest in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. She was also in contact with leading figures in the revolutions in France and Germany in 1848, and the struggles for Italian independence.

Women's higher education

In 1849, Reid founded Bedford College at

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, inclu ...

in the Bloomsbury area of London. The college was a women-only

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

institution that aimed to provide a liberal and non-sectarian education for female students – something no other institution in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

offered at the time. Bedford College played a leading role in the advancement of women in higher education, and in public life in general. The National Archives U.K. holds a number of letters written to Reid that reference noted Victorian advocates of female education, including

Harriet Martineau Harriet Martineau (; 12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist often seen as the first female sociologist, focusing on race relations within much of her published material.Michael R. Hill (2002''Harriet Martineau: Theoretic ...

and Frances Lupton. Reid also founded the Reid Trust, which continues to support women's education with small grants to this day. Reid died in 1866, leaving her remaining wealth in a trust fund for the college. Reid had insisted on women being involved with the governance of the college and there were three women trustees including her friend Elizabeth Anne Bostock.

Legacy

There is a green plaque on Reid's house in Bedford Square. Bedford College became a college of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1900, and merged with

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

in 1985 to become

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

. One of the halls of residence on the current campus is named "Reid Hall" in memory of the Bedford College founder.

References

External links

History of Royal Holloway and Bedford New CollegeGenesis website page on Reid's archived papersGenesis website page on Bedford College's archived papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Elizabeth Jesser People associated with Bedford College, London Philanthropists from London English abolitionists 1789 births 1866 deaths British social reformers English reformers 19th-century British philanthropists 19th-century women philanthropists