Lynda Grier,
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(3 May 1880 – 21 August 1967) was a British educational administrator, policy advisor, and the principal of
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, from 1921 to 1945. Born in
Staffordshire, Grier was profoundly deaf as a child, which resulted in her lack of formal education. When she and her mother, after her father's death, moved to
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 ...
, Grier obtained permission to attend lectures 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 ...
as an external student. In order to enroll formally, she had to teach herself basic math and languages to fill the gaps in her prior reading education. Graduating in 1908, she became an assistant teacher at Newnham and in 1913 was promoted to
assistant lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
. In 1915, she transferred to 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
, ...
, where she taught economics until the war ended.
In 1921, Grier was appointed as the principal of
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and worked on the overhaul of the college to meet post-war educational requirements. She served on many commissions and committees for the church and government to improve British pedagogy and educational policy. She was involved in some of the most important educational reforms in the interwar period and was one of the authors of both the
Hadow Reports and the
Spens Report
The Spens Report was an important 1938 British government report on secondary schools in the UK which led to much-wider expansion of grammar schools in the UK, and the introduction of technical schools and "modern" schools (also known as secondar ...
. She became the first woman to serve on Oxford's
Hebdomadal Council
The Hebdomadal Council was the chief executive body for the University of Oxford from its establishment by the Oxford University Act 1854 until its replacement, in the Michaelmas term of 2000, by the new University Council. Chaired by the Vice- ...
in 1926. Retiring as principal in 1945, she went abroad to China on behalf of the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
in 1947. As the post for the Council representative in Shanghai was vacant, she was invited to take the post. Serving from 1948 to 1950, she remained in abroad, traveling widely to evaluate education in the country in spite of the dangers of the
Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (ROC ...
. She was honoured as a Commander in the Order of the British Empire in 1951 and in 1953, was the first Cambridge-educated woman to receive an
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from the university. She died in 1967 and is remembered for her work in developing women's education and education policy in Britain.
Early life and education
Mary Lynda Dorothea Grier was born on 3 May 1880 in
Rugeley
Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, nort ...
, Staffordshire to Grace (née Allen) and Richard MacGregor Grier. Her father was the
rural dean
In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as well as some Lutheran denominations, a rural dean is a member of clergy who presides over a "rural deanery" (often referred to as a deanery); "ruridecanal" is the corresponding adjective ...
of
Rugeley
Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, nort ...
and
prebendary
A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...
of
Lichfield
Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...
. She was the younger sister of
Sir Selwyn MacGregor Grier, who would become a British colonial administrator,
Governor-in-Chief of the Windward Islands from 1935 to 1937. During her childhood, Grier was
deaf
Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...
and because of her condition was taught at home by an aunt and her mother, who did not understand that her learning difficulties stemmed from her inability to hear. She taught herself to lip read and studied books from her father's library. The family were poor, but became impoverished when her father moved them to
Hednesford
Hednesford (pronounced ) is a historic market town in the Cannock Chase district of Staffordshire, England. Cannock Chase is to the north, the town of Cannock to the south and Rugeley to the southwest.The population at the 2011 census was 1 ...
, a mining town in the
South Staffordshire coalfield area. His subsequent death in 1894, created greater economic strain and the family lived with relatives for some time before moving to
Cannock
Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the nearby towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolv ...
.
In 1904, Grier and her mother relocated to Cambridge. As her hearing had improved, she began attending lectures of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science and met
Mary Paley Marshall. Marshall allowed Grier to attend
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 ...
as an external student, while she worked on her own to complete the gaps in her education. To pass her
Tripos
At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...
in 1908, Grier had to learn basic math, as well as French, Greek and Latin. She and her classmate
Eva Spielman (later Hubback) achieved
first class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in the Economics examination, Part II, outranking any of their male classmates. After graduating, she worked with Marshall as a teaching assistant until 1913.
Career
In 1913, Grier was appointed as an
assistant lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
at Newnham and two years later, she was elevated to lecturer. That year, she became a mentor to
Barbara Wootton
Barbara Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger, CH (14 April 1897 – 11 July 1988) was a British sociologist and criminologist. She was the first of four women to be appointed as a life peer, entitled to serve in the House of Lords, under the ...
, laying out a reading list for the reluctant
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
student to improve her studies in economics. Later that year, she was teaching the economics courses at 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
, ...
, which
D. H. MacGregor
David Hutchison MacGregor (1877, Monifieth, Angus, Scotland – 8 May 1953, Oxford, England) was a Scottish economist and Drummond Professor of Political Economy at the University of Oxford and Fellow of All Souls, Oxford, from 1921 to ...
had to abandon because he was called into the service during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
During her time at Leeds, Grier recognized that she was drawn to the field of education. Having lacked opportunity in her own childhood, she was particularly interested in providing educational opportunities for others who had similar experiences. She became a strong supporter of the Workers' Educational Association and vice-chancellor,
Michael Sadler, who believed that the university had a public duty to serve the broader community. She also met the vice principal of the
normal school
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...
in Leeds,
Winifred Mercier, who would become an influence on her. In later life, Grier wrote biographies of both Mercier and Sadler.
At the end of the war, Grier returned to Newnham as a
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
. She also worked at
Bedford College, London, tutoring economics. In 1921, she was appointed as the third principal of
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, succeeding
Henrietta Jex-Blake
Henrietta Jex-Blake (June 1862 – 21 May 1953) was a British violinist, and the principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, from 1909 to 1921.
Early life and education
Henrietta Jex-Blake was born at Rugby School on 8 July 1862 to Henrietta (n ...
in the role.
She began her tenure focusing on overhauling the university structure from the accommodations to the finances. She oversaw drafting of a constitution to establish college regulations which would increase the staff and student populations and meet the post-war educational demands of women. She introduced philosophy and political students to economics, insisting that it was a behavioural science.
![Lynda Grier 1929](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Lynda_Grier_1929.jpg)
In 1924, Grier became a member of the
Board of Education's Consultative Committee. The committee was the first in the UK to include women in an official government commission and they were charged with giving expert advice on education. From the beginning of the Consultative Committee in 1899, the women members who served used their cause of creating improvements for girls' and women's education, as part of the specific political aim of improving the status of women. Grier joined at the time when the Consultative Committee had made changes in their structure so allow the members, rather than the Board of Education, to direct their fields of study. She worked on reports which became extremely important in British
pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
and educational policy in the
interwar
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
years. These included the
Hadow Reports, "''The Education of the Adolescent'' (1927), ''Primary Education'' (1931), and ''Infant and Nursery Schools'' (1933); and the
Spens Report
The Spens Report was an important 1938 British government report on secondary schools in the UK which led to much-wider expansion of grammar schools in the UK, and the introduction of technical schools and "modern" schools (also known as secondar ...
on ''Secondary Education'' (1938)".
Grier was invited in 1925 to serve as president of Section F (economics) of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, which was an unusual distinction for a woman at that time. In 1926, she became the first woman to serve on the
Hebdomadal Council
The Hebdomadal Council was the chief executive body for the University of Oxford from its establishment by the Oxford University Act 1854 until its replacement, in the Michaelmas term of 2000, by the new University Council. Chaired by the Vice- ...
of
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. This body was the policy-forming council for the university and throughout her tenure, she served on various committees to improve the overall university system. From 1927 to 1929, she was a member of the Archbishop's Commission on religious education and in 1932, she was appointed for a second term on the Consultative Committee. She would share the distinction with
Essie Conway of being the longest serving women members of the Consultative Committee, each consulting for 14 years.
Grier supported the founding of
Nuffield College in 1937 and served as chair of its education committee from 1943 to 1946, while at the same time serving as faculty fellow from 1944 to 1945. In 1945, she was appointed president of Section L (education) of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. That year, she retired as principal of Lady Margaret Hall, but her retirement was short-lived. At the request of the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
, Grier embarked on an educational lecturing tour of China in 1947 and when the Chinese representative to the council vacated their post in 1948, she accepted the appointment as replacement. She remained in China until 1950, during the
Chinese Communist Revolution
The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (ROC ...
, and in spite of the dangers, traveled widely to evaluate educational facilities.
When she returned to Britain, Grier was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the
1951 New Year Honours
The 1951 New Years Honours were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1951 for the Brit ...
. For the next several years, Grier lectured and did broadcast work on the history and challenges faced in China. She was awarded the first
honorary Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...
given to a woman graduate of Cambridge in 1953. In 1961, she embarked on a world tour, but had to abandon it due to illness. Increasingly in her later years, she had ill-health, becoming extremely deaf and experiencing partial-paralysis.
Death and legacy
Grier died in London on 21 August 1967 and was buried beside her parents in Hednesford. She is remembered as a pioneer in women's education and developing the educational policies throughout the United Kingdom.
Selected works
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References
Citations
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grier, Lynda
1880 births
1967 deaths
People from Rugeley
Principals of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Fellows of Nuffield College, Oxford
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge
Academics of the University of Leeds
Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge