Edith Sharpley (1859–1940) was a Classical Lecturer at

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

from 1884 to 1910.

Life

Sharpley was the second of ten children born to Sarah McNicoll and Dr Thomas Sharpley in Louth in Lincolnshire. She was born on 24 January 1859 and went to several schools in Louth,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

and Paris before attending Manchester High School. She started at

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...

in 1879, eleven years before her sister Mary McNicoll Sharpley in 1890. Sharpley is the first student at Newnham who is recorded as having coxed a boat on the River Cam - in 1879. This was fifteen years before bicycles were permitted at Newnham.History
Newnham College Boat Club, Retrieved 15 February 2017 She took a

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

in part II of the

Classical Tripos The Classical Tripos is the taught course in classics at the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge. It is equivalent to Literae Humaniores at Oxford. It is traditionally a three-year degree, but for those who have not previously studied ...

for which philosophy was her specialist subject. She then in 1884 became a lecturer in Classics at the college, focussing on teaching rather than research and writing. She was a lifelong correspondent of

Eleanor Sidgwick Eleanor Mildred Sidgwick (née Balfour; 11 March 1845 – 10 February 1936), known as Nora to her family and friends, was a physics researcher assisting Lord Rayleigh, an activist for the higher education of women, Principal of Newnham College o ...

and assisted

Blanche Athena Clough Blanche Athena Clough (1861–1960) was a British classicist and educational administrator who was the Principal of Newnham College (1920–1923). Biography Clough came up to Newnham College in 1884 to read Classics, some 13 years after its foun ...

in caring for her aunt

Anne Clough Anne Jemima Clough (20 January 182027 February 1892) was an early English suffragist and a promoter of higher education for women. She was the first principal of Newnham College. Life Clough was born at Liverpool, Lancashire, the daughter of c ...

who had been Newnham's first principal. Sharpley became vice principal of Sidgwick Hall in 1911 and was the first registrar of the roll of students from 1918–1929. One student wrote of "the fastidiousness of her taste and the ruthlessness of her judgement". Sharpley was elected to Newnham's governing body from 1919 to 1922. She died on 14 April 1940.Sharpley search
Lib.cam.ac.uk, Retrieved 16 February 2016

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpley, Edith 1859 births 1940 deaths Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge British women academics English classical scholars Women classical scholars People from Louth, Lincolnshire