Kathleen Louise Wood-Legh (1901–1981) was a Canadian

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, specialising in medieval social and economic history.

Life

Born in

Mount Forest, Ontario Mount Forest is an unincorporated community located at the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario, Canada. As of the 2011 Canadian census the population of Mount Forest was 4,757 . History Prior to ...

, Kathleen Wood-Legh was blind from childhood. After completing a BA in 1923 and an MA in 1924, both at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, she travelled to England with her family for further study. In 1926 she began a PhD 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 Millicent ...

under the supervision of G.G. Coulton on church life in medieval England, completed in 1932. Despite glowing references from G.M. Trevelyan, she was unable to secure a permanent academic position and became a tutor and supervisor for undergraduate students at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In 1938 she played a leading role in a number of refugee committees, including the Cambridge Refugee Committee, which helped scholars at threat from the expansion of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, and the Cambridge Children’s Refugee Committee, which found homes for displaced Jewish children. With Anna McClean Bidder, in 1950 she was a founding member of the ''Society of Women Members of the Regent House who are not Fellows of Colleges'', better known as the Dining Group. This informal group of female scholars at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

became the nucleus for

Lucy Cavendish College Lucy Cavendish College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college is named in honour of Lucy Cavendish (1841–1925), who campaigned for the reform of women's education. History The college was founded in 1965 by ...

, established in 1965. Wood-Legh wrote the constitution of the new college, becoming a fellow. She was awarded a Litt.D in 1967. She died in Cambridge in 1981.

Work

Wood-Legh's work on later medieval religious life remains influential to this day. Her key publications include: * ''Studies in Church Life in England under Edward III'' (1934). Based on her PhD thesis. * ''Perpetual Chantries in Britain'' (1965). Based on the series of Birkbeck lectures she delivered in 1955. * (ed.) ''Kentish Visitations of Archbishop William Warham and his deputies, 1511-1512'' (1984).

Legacy

She is commemorated by the Wood-Legh Room in Lucy Cavendish College, and by the Wood-Legh Prize, awarded by the University of Cambridge Faculty of History for the best dissertation in the

MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

in Medieval History. Her papers are held by

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of the over 100 libraries within the university. The Library is a major scholarly resource for the members of the University of Cambri ...

References

Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood-Legh, Kathleen 20th-century Canadian women writers 1981 deaths People from Wellington County, Ontario 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian women historians Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge 1901 births Fellows of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge McGill University alumni