The North of England Council for Promoting the Higher Education of Women (NECPHEW), inspired by

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 ...

, was established in November 1867. At this time women could not be awarded university degrees even though they had passed the examinations. The

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 ...

awarded its first degrees to women in 1878,

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

followed in 1895 but

Oxford 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 ...

did not follow suit until 1920 and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, 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. Cam ...

not until 1948. At its first meeting, Ladies' Educational Associations were represented by Elizabeth Wolstenholme from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and Lucy Wilson from

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 ...

. Clough became honorary secretary and

Josephine Butler Josephine Elizabeth Butler (' Grey; 13 April 1828 – 30 December 1906) was an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of coverture ...

took office as its president, a position she held until she stood down in 1871. Wolstenholme drew up the rules and her friend, the academic James Stuart gave a series of lectures for women in astronomy. F W H Myers was another tutor and more than 550 students signed up to his university lectures. During winter 1867 and spring 1868, members of NECPHEW gathered support for a memorial to the Cambridge Senate. In October 1868 the professional accreditation of women educators was secured by the award of a University Diploma. The second meeting of NECPHEW was held at Leeds on 15 and 16 April 1868. By 1872, Manchester Ladies' Educational Association was represented by Elizabeth Gaskell's daughter Meta and the Ladies' Educational Association in Leeds by Frances Lupton who was supported by her sister-in-law, Anna Lupton and

Lord Houghton Lord Houghton or Baron Houghton may refer to: *Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, FRS (19 June 1809 – 11 August 1885) was an English poet, patron of literature and a politician who strong ...

. A number of the council's members 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.

Publications

* North of England Council for Promoting the Education of Women — Spottiswoode & Company, 1868 - Women - 11 pages

References

Citations Bibliography * * * * {{refend Women and education Feminism and education Northern England

Publications

See also

References