Margaret Boyd (17 January 1913 - 21 November 1993) was an English lacrosse player, administrator and school teacher who founded the

International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations World Lacrosse (WL), formerly the Federation of International Lacrosse, is the international governing body of lacrosse, responsible for the men's, women's, and indoor versions of the sport. It was established in 2008 by the merger of the prev ...

(today World Lacrosse) in 1972 and was vice-president (later president) of the English Women's Lacrosse Association. She was an educator at

Roedean School Roedean School is an independent day and boarding school founded in 1885 in Roedean Village on the outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, England, and governed by Royal Charter. It is for girls aged 11 to 18. The campus is situated near the Sus ...

, a girl's public school in Sussex, then at

Berkhamsted School Berkhamsted School is an independent day school in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. The present school was formed in 1997 by the amalgamation of the original Berkhamsted School, founded in 1541 by John Incent, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral ...

and finally at

Wycombe Abbey , motto_translation = Go in faith , established = 1896 , type = Independent boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Headmistress , head = J. Duncan , chair_label = Chair ...

as the head of physical education and later a housemistress. In lacrosse, Boyd played as a defence wing for Bedford College, Boxmoor Ladies, the East Ladies Lacrosse Association and the England women's lacrosse team, which she captained from 1938 to her retirement from playing in 1951. She worked as a lacrosse coach in the United States and elsewhere for two decades. Boyd was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1971 and was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1993.

Early life

On 17 January 1913, Boyd was born in Strasbourg,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, Germany. She was the daughter and fourth of five children born to the Manchester oil company manager Harold de Haven Boyd and his wife Charlotte Elisabeth, . Boyd lived in Strasbourg, and was educated firstly at Berkhamsted Girls' School in Hertfordshire and then at

in Buckinghamshire, where she learnt

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

. She excelled at playing games and could play the piano well. Boyd trained as a physical education teacher at Bedford PE College.

Career

Boyd first educated at

, a girl's public school in Sussex, and then at

until the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. During the war, she motorcycled daily to Ashridge Hospital in Ashridge House close to

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new town ...

, working as a qualified physiotherapist there. In 1944, Boyd returned to Wycombe Abbey as a teacher who headed physical education and then as a housemistress until she retired from the school in 1975, although there were occasional staff shortages that required her involvement in teaching. She was the co-ordinator the school appeal, was the head of careers advice, organised the sixth form social work in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

and had a major role in the seniors (old girls') association. She played lacrosse as a defence wing, firstly for Bedford College and later for Boxmoor Ladies. In 1934, Boyd was chosen for the East Ladies Lacrosse Association and the England women's lacrosse team. She was the England national captain from 1938 until she retired from playing in 1951. In wartime, Boyd placed advertisements in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' newspaper that saw lacrosse equipment delivered to schools struggling with supplies and organised coaching sessions for women's service teams in her local area as well as formed "The Occasionals" team. she established the annual five-day national schools' tournament that took place at the conclusion of each season, and in 1949, played on the first official tour to the United States as well as coaching the England touring team. After she retired from international play, she worked at

Winsor School The Winsor School is a 5–12 private, college-preparatory day school for girls in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1886. It competes in the Eastern Independent League and is featured on the Boston Women's Heritage Tr ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

for three years starting in 1952. Boyd also began coaching lacrosse in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

and returned there annually on more than twenty trips for more than two decades to coach in summer camps and encouraged other British coaches and players to do likewise; Boyd also coached across the wide range of the East Coast of the United States with clinics she provided to girls, and established a basis for women's lacrosse in the country and brought it to Merestead Camp in Maine. Boyd also coached lacrosse in Wales. When she returned to Britain, she became an lacrosse administrator, serving as vice-president of the English Women's Lacrosse Association between 1955 and 1966 and was its president from 1966 to 1972. In 1959, Boyd authored the book ''Lacrosse - Playing and Coaching''. In 1969, Boyd took a combined British and United States lacrosse team that she organized and managed team—the Pioneers-for their first overseas tour to Australia. They held exhibition matches in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Netherlands. She founded the

(today World Lacrosse) in

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...

in April 1972 and was the organisation's first president before becoming an honorary member. Boyd was an honorary member of the United States Women's Lacrosse Association. She played golf and

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

Personal life

On 21 November 1993, Boyd died of heart failure at her home in Berkhamsted. She was unmarried. Following Boyd's funeral at Chilterns Crematorium in Amersham on the afternoon of 1 December, a thanksgiving service for her was held at Wycombe Abbey School Chapel in the afternoon of 23 January 1994.

Legacy

In the

1971 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1971 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lond ...

, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services to women's lacrosse."
Boyd was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore in November 1993. A total of £1,000 was donated from her estate to Wycombe Abbey in her wish that it be used for any seniors requiring financial assistance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Margaret 1913 births 1993 deaths Schoolteachers from Buckinghamshire 20th-century English women 20th-century British women educators People educated at Berkhamsted School People educated at Wycombe Abbey Women's lacrosse players British lacrosse players English women educators Administrators Officers of the Order of the British Empire