Florence Annie Yeldham (30 October 1877 – 10 January 1945) was a British school teacher and historian of arithmetic. She supported the idea of following the

history of mathematics The history of mathematics deals with the origin of discoveries in mathematics and the mathematical methods and notation of the past. Before the modern age and the worldwide spread of knowledge, written examples of new mathematical developments ...

as a motive to teach arithmetic.

Early life and education

Florence Yeldham was born at School House,

Brightling Brightling is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. It is located on the Weald eight miles (13 km) north-west of Battle and four miles (6 km) west of Robertsbridge. The village lies in the High Wea ...

Battle, East Sussex Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south-east of London, east of Brighton and east of Lewes. Hastings is to the south-east and Bexhill-on-Sea to the south. Batt ...

, on 30 October 1877, the daughter of school teacher Thomas Yeldham, who later became a school inspector, and his wife, Elizabeth Ann Chesterfield. She was the second daughter and second of at least seven children. She was not originally from

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

but moved there from

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

and studied in

James Allen's Girls' School James Allen's Girls' School, abbreviated JAGS, is an independent day school situated in Dulwich, South London, England. It is the second oldest girls’ independent school in Great Britain - Godolphin School in Salisbury being the oldest, founde ...

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

. James Allen's Girls' School awarded her an exhibition to go to Bedford College,

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 ...

, from where she matriculated in 1895. Yeldham graduated with a BSc (division two) in 1900, having chosen papers in

pure mathematics Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications, ...

, experimental

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, and

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

. Whilst she is listed as having gained honours, which one would have expected, no details have been found.

Career

Although she did not enjoy a remarkable teaching career, Yeldham wrote books herself. She produced her first printed work in 1913. Her works include ''The Story of Reckoning in the Middle Ages'', ''The Teaching of Arithmetic Through 400 Years, 1535–1935'', ''A Study of Mathematical Methods in England to the Thirteenth Century'' and ''Percentage Tables''. Her books were well regarded and included reference material which was not easily available. Yeldham fell victim to chronic

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

, which made her final years uncomfortable. She died while staying at Metropolitan Convalescent Home,

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, where she spent the last six months of her life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeldham, Florence 1877 births 1945 deaths 19th-century British mathematicians 20th-century British mathematicians British non-fiction writers People from Brightling British women mathematicians People educated at James Allen's Girls' School Alumni of Bedford College, London 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English writers 19th-century English women writers 19th-century British writers 20th-century British women scientists Schoolteachers from Sussex 20th-century women mathematicians