Frances Elizabeth Lupton (née Greenhow; 20 July 1821 – 9 March 1892) was an Englishwoman of the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
who worked to open up
educational opportunities for women. She married into the politically active
Lupton family
The Lupton family in Yorkshire achieved prominence in ecclesiastical and academic circles in England in the Tudor era through the fame of Roger Lupton, provost of Eton College and chaplain to Henry VII and Henry VIII. By the Georgian era, ...
of
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, where she co-founded
Leeds Girls' High School
Leeds Girls' High School (LGHS) was an independent, selective, fee-paying school for girls aged 3–18 founded in 1876 in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It merged with Leeds Grammar School in 2005 to form The Grammar School at Le ...
in 1876 and was the Leeds representative of the
.
Early life
Lupton was born Frances Elizabeth Greenhow on 20 July 1821, into a medical family in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
.
Her father,
Thomas Michael Greenhow
Thomas Michael Greenhow MD MRCS FRCS (5 July 1792 – 25 October 1881) was an English surgeon and epidemiologist.
Career
Greenhow was the second son of Edward Michael Greenhow, an army surgeon of North Shields, Tynemouth. He was a medic ...
, co-founded the city's Eye Infirmary, with
Sir John Fife,
[ and then ]Newcastle University Medical School
Newcastle University School of Medicine is the medical school at Newcastle University in England. It was established in 1834 in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and served as the College of Medicine in connection with Durham University from 1851 ...
. He worked at Newcastle Infirmary, renamed the Royal Victoria Infirmary
The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) is a 673-bed tertiary referral hospital and research centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with strong links to Newcastle University.
The hospital is part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation T ...
, for many years and was instrumental in its expansion in the 1850s.
Her mother, Elizabeth, was born into the Martineau family
The Martineau family is an intellectual, business and political dynasty associated first with Norwich and later also London and Birmingham, England. The family were prominent Unitarians; a room in London's Essex Hall, the headquarters building ...
, an intellectual, business, and political dynasty
A political family (also referred to as political dynasty) is a family in which multiple members are involved in politics — particularly electoral politics. Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations or multiple sibli ...
. Many of her relatives were nationally prominent as Unitarians, a branch of English Dissenters; a main hall of the post-Blitz
Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to:
Military uses
*Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign
*The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War
*, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...
rebuilding of Essex Hall
Essex Street Chapel, also known as Essex Church, is a Unitarian place of worship in London. It was the first church in England set up with this doctrine, and was established when Dissenters still faced legal threat. As the birthplace of British ...
– the national headquarters for British Unitarians – was named after them. Elizabeth grew up in Norwich, attending the Octagon Chapel. Her siblings included James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
, the religious philosopher
Religious philosophy is philosophical thinking that is influenced and directed as a consequence to teachings from a particular religion. It can be done objectively, but may also be done as a persuasion tool by believers in that faith. Religious ...
and professor at Manchester New College (known today as Harris Manchester College, Oxford University); Harriet, the social theorist
Social theories are analytical frameworks, or paradigms, that are used to study and interpret social phenomena.Seidman, S., 2016. Contested knowledge: Social theory today. John Wiley & Sons. A tool used by social scientists, social theories relat ...
and Whig writer, often cited as the first female sociologist; and Robert, Mayor of Birmingham.
Thomas and Elizabeth Greenhow lived in Newcastle's fashionable Old Eldon Square. The couple had several children; Frances and at least two boys. Henry Martineau Greenhow (1829–1912) followed his father into medicine. He joined the Indian Medical Service
The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officer ...
and spent his career in British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, rising to surgeon major. His garrison withstood the Siege of Lucknow, a key part of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
. Another brother, William Thomas Greenhow (1831–1921) became a judge. The siblings' first cousin Edward Headlam Greenhow
Edward Headlam Greenhow FRS, FRCP (1814 – 22 April 1888) was an English physician, epidemiologist, sanitarian, statistician, clinician and lecturer.
Life and career
Greenhow was born at North Shields in 1814, and after receiving his medica ...
was a physician-academic, who made his mark in epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...
and public health.
Frances was educated at her aunt Rachel Martineau's school and remained close to Rachel's sister Harriet in adulthood. The Unitarian ethos of liberalism and service to society stayed with her throughout her life.[
]
Marriage and children
In 1847 Frances married Francis Lupton (1813–1884), a member of a prosperous and politically active cloth manufacturing family in Leeds. In addition to his business interests, he was one of the founders of the Yorkshire College of Science in 1874, which became part of the federal Victoria University, and from 1904 the University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
. The Luptons were Unitarians who worshipped at Mill Hill Chapel
Mill Hill Chapel is a Unitarian church in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. The building, which stands in the centr ...
on Leeds City Square
City Square is a paved area north of Leeds railway station at the junction of Park Row to the east and Wellington Street to the south. It is a triangular area where six roads meet: Infirmary Street and Park Row to the north, Boar Lane and Bish ...
, where a stained glass window commemorates them.
Frances married into a family of activists. Her husband's younger brother, Joseph Lupton, was president
and later vice-president of Manchester New College, the training college for ministers where Frances's uncle taught. He was an anti-slavery campaigner and a Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
who sat on the executive of the National Reform Union The National Reform Union (or NRU) was formed in 1864 and was composed mainly of Liberal party members. At the start of 1867 the Reform Union had 150 branches compared to the Reform League's 400.
The Reform Union was more intellectual than the sim ...
. He sat on the committee for the National Society for Women's Suffrage
The National Society for Women's Suffrage Manchester Branch
The National Society for Women's Suffrage was the first national group in the United Kingdom to campaign for women's right to vote. Formed on 6 November 1867, by Lydia Becker, the organ ...
. The brothers' cousin Jane married the minister at Mill Hill, Charles Wicksteed
Charles Wicksteed (1810–1885) was a Unitarian minister, part of the tradition of English Dissenters.
Early life and education
Charles Wicksteed was born in Shrewsbury; his father was a manufacturer and his mother was descended from the great di ...
, an educational reformer. He co-founded the Leeds Education Society, a precursor to the National Education League
The National Education League was a political movement in England and Wales which promoted elementary education for all children, free from religious control.
The National Education League, founded 1869, developed from the Birmingham Education Lea ...
.
Francis and Frances lived just outside the rapidly industrialising city at Potternewton Hall, later moving to Beechwood, a Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
country house in Roundhay
Roundhay is a large suburb in north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Roundhay had a population of 22,546 in 2011.
It sits in the Roundhay ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency.
History Etymology
Roun ...
. Francis had farms at Beechwood and worked as a director of the family wool manufacturing firm until he died suddenly at the age of 70 in 1884.
The Luptons had five sons, Francis Martineau, Arthur, Herbert (who died young), Charles, and Hugh.[ When her brother's wife died, she took in their daughter Mabel Greenhow to raise alongside her own children; Mabel grew up to write as Mrs Murray Hickson. Her four surviving sons contributed to the civic life of Leeds; two became Lord Mayor of Leeds.] Through Olive Middleton (1881-1936), the eldest child of her eldest child Francis Martineau (1848-1921), Frances Lupton is the great-great-great-grandmother of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...
.[
]
Female education reform
Context
Secular education of women became a more pressing issue by the mid-19th century. Girls' schools, including small boarding establishments, had existed for generations (for example Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...
's school in Newington Green
Newington Green is an open space in North London that straddles the border between Islington and Hackney. It gives its name to the surrounding area, roughly bounded by Ball's Pond Road to the south, Petherton Road to the west, Green Lanes and ...
in the 1780s, with ties to Newington Green Unitarian Church
Newington Green Unitarian Church (NGUC) in north London is one of England's oldest Unitarian churches. It has had strong ties to political radicalism for over 300 years, and is London's oldest Nonconformist place of worship still in use. It wa ...
and the Newington Academy for Girls
The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when girls' educational opportunities were limited, it offered a wide range ...
, set up by Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
in 1824), but a new impetus was given by the founding of colleges offering single-sex education to young women. Queen's College, London opened in London in 1848 to provide qualifications for governesses. The first girls' schools targeted at university entrance were North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is an independent school with a day school for girls in England. Founded in Camden Town, it is now located in Edgware, in the London Borough of Harrow. Associate schools are located in South Korea, Jeju I ...
(from 1850) and Cheltenham Ladies' College
Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...
(from the appointment of 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 1858). Emily Davies
Sarah Emily Davies (22 April 1830 – 13 July 1921) was an English feminist and suffragist, and a pioneering campaigner for women's rights to university access. She is remembered above all as a co-founder and an early Mistress of Girton Coll ...
campaigned for women's higher education in the 1860s, and founded Girton in 1869, and 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 ...
founded Newnham in 1871 – both of these colleges were affiliated with but not entirely accepted by the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
.
Lupton's aunt Harriet Martineau paid a visit to the United States in 1834, one of her areas of interest was the emerging girls' schools. In ''Society in America'' (1837), the sociologist criticised the state of female education:
"The intellect of women is confined by an unjustifiable restriction of ... education ... As women have none of the objects in life for which an enlarged education is considered requisite, the education is not given ... The choice is to either be ill-educated, passive, and subservient, or well-educated, vigorous, and free only upon sufferance."
Lupton's impact
Lupton's entry in the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' describes her pioneering work in expanding the opportunities for female education.[
In 1871 Lupton became Honorary Secretary to the Ladies' Honorary Council of the Yorkshire Board of Education, which was just six years old. She was "the powerful driving force of the organization" and also that of the Leeds Ladies' Educational Association. One of her first successes was setting up a students' library. Soon, the committees had arranged to superintend the first Cambridge Local Examination for women in Leeds.][
The most pressing need was for better all-round education for girls, equivalent to what boys received at traditional ]grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
s. Established interests prevented the use of existing charitable funds, despite the passage of the Endowed Schools Act 1869
The Endowed Schools Act 1869 (32 & 33 Vict c 56) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the Endowed Schools Acts 1869 to 1948. It was passed during William Ewart Gladstone’s first ministry, to restructure endowed gr ...
, so Lupton led a meeting between the Leeds Association and the Ladies Council to create a new way forward – a joint-stock company. Her business acumen led to the establishment of Leeds Girls' High School
Leeds Girls' High School (LGHS) was an independent, selective, fee-paying school for girls aged 3–18 founded in 1876 in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It merged with Leeds Grammar School in 2005 to form The Grammar School at Le ...
in 1876.
Lupton and the Ladies Council also saw the need for the dissemination of practical information on traditionally female subjects such as health and nursing. They launched a cookery school in 1874, having requested but not received help from civil servant Sir Henry Cole
Sir Henry Cole FRSA (15 July 1808 – 18 April 1882) was a British civil servant and inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce and education in the 19th century in the United Kingdom. Cole is credited with devising the concept of ...
. In the following decade, the Yorkshire Training School of Cookery developed teacher training
Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...
courses at the request of the school boards – eventually this formed a component of Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univ ...
.[
In the early 1870s, Lupton invited England's leading educationalists: ]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 ...
, principal of 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 ...
Cambridge University, Meta Gaskell and Professor Sir John Seely of Christ's College, Cambridge to her home, Beechwood.
By 1872, Lupton represented NECPHEW's Leeds Ladies' Educational Association on the (NECPHEW). As a council member, she also belonged to the Education for Girls Committee of the Royal Society of Arts which, from 1871, had aligned itself with the aims of NECPHEW.[
][
] Lupton, Mrs Henry Currer Briggs and Mrs F.W. Kitson established the Leeds branch of the Association for the Care and Protection of Friendless Girls in 1885 which was also supported by members of her family.
Death
Lupton died at home at Beechwood on 9 March 1892 and is buried at St John's Church in Roundhay
Roundhay is a large suburb in north-east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Roundhay had a population of 22,546 in 2011.
It sits in the Roundhay ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency.
History Etymology
Roun ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lupton, Frances
1821 births
1892 deaths
English Unitarians
People from Roundhay
Victorian era
History of education in England
19th-century British educators
19th-century English women
19th-century English people
19th-century women educators