Sarah Emily Davies (22 April 1830 – 13 July 1921) was an English

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and suffragist, and a pioneering campaigner for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

to university access. She is remembered above all as a co-founder and an early Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge, the first university college in England to educate women.

Life

Davies was born in Carlton Crescent,

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, England, to an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

clergyman and a teacher, although she spent most of her youth in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, where her father, John D. Davies, was Rector. Davies had been tempted to train in medicine. She wrote the article "Female Physicians" for the feminist ''

English Woman's Journal The ''English Woman's Journal'' was a periodical dealing primarily with female employment and equality issues. It was established in 1858 by Barbara Bodichon, Matilda Mary Hays and Bessie Rayner Parkes. Published monthly between March 1858 a ...

'' in May 1860, and "Medicine as a Profession for Women" in 1862. Furthermore, she "greatly encouraged" her friend Elizabeth Garrett in her medical studies.

Women's rights

Davies moved, after her father's death in 1862, to London, where she edited the ''English Woman's Journal'' and became friends with such women's rights advocates as

Barbara Bodichon Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon (born Barbara Leigh Smith; 8 April 1827 – 11 June 1891) was an English educationalist and artist, and a leading mid-19th-century feminist and women's rights activist. She published her influential ''Brief Summary ...

, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and

Millicent Fawcett Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett (née Garrett; 11 June 1847 – 5 August 1929) was an English politician, writer and feminist. She campaigned for women's suffrage by legal change and in 1897–1919 led Britain's largest women's rights associati ...

. Davies became a founding member of a women's discussion group, the

Kensington Society The Kensington Society is a civic society for Kensington, London. It serves both as an individual membership organisation, with more than 700 members, and as an umbrella organisation for 33 affiliated residents' associations and conservation ...

, along with Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Barbara Bodichon,

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 w ...

and

Frances Mary Buss Frances Mary Buss (16 August 1827 – 24 December 1894) was a British headmistress and a pioneer of girls' education. Life The daughter of Robert William Buss, a painter and etcher, and his wife, Frances Fleetwood, Buss was one of six of thei ...

, who together petitioned Parliament to grant women voting rights, to no avail. Davies began campaigning for women's rights to further education, degrees and teaching qualifications. She was active on the

London School Board The School Board for London, commonly known as the London School Board (LSB), was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London. The Elementary Education Act 1870 was the first to provide for ...

and in the Schools Inquiry Commission, and instrumental in obtaining the admission of girls to official secondary-school examinations. Davies went on to advocate the admission of women to the Universities of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. These were exclusively male domains, like all universities at the time.Biography. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
/ref> Davies became involved in the

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

movement, which centred on a woman's right to vote. She was involved in organising for

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

's 1866 petition to the British Parliament), which was signed by Paulina Irby, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and 15,000 others, and the first to press for women's suffrage. That same year she wrote the book entitled ''The Higher Education of Women''.

Girton College

In 1869, Davies led the campaign to found Britain's first women's college, with the support of Frances Buss, Dorothea Beale and Barbara Bodichon. Girton College was initially located in

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

, Hertfordshire, with

Charlotte Manning Charlotte Manning (''née'' Solly; 30 March 1803 – 1 April 1871) was a British feminist, scholar and writer. She was the first head of Girton College. Family Charlotte Solly was born in 1803, daughter of merchant Isaac Solly of Leyton, Esse ...

as the first Mistress. The college then moved in 1873 to the outskirts of Cambridge. Davies pressed for a curriculum equivalent to those offered to men of the time. The Senate rejecting her proposal to let women officially sit for the papers, but Davies continued to train students for the Cambridge

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 ...

exams on an unofficial basis. Davies served as Mistress of the College in 1873–1875. In 1877,

Caroline Croom Robertson Caroline Anna Croom Robertson, born Caroline Anna Crompton (1838 – 29 May 1892) was a British suffragist and college administrator. She was the secretary and later bursar of Girton College, Cambridge - the first university college in England to ...

joined the management as secretary to reduce the load on Davies. The College and the rest of Cambridge University only began to grant full university degrees to women in 1940. Davies persistent fight for equal education for women was instrumental also in the founding in 1875 of Newnham College, which would be led by Anne Jemima Clough. In June 1901, Davies received an 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 (LL. ...

(DLL) from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. Meanwhile she continued her suffrage work. In 1906, she headed a delegation to Parliament. She was known for opposing the militant and violent methods used by the

Suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

part of the women's suffrage movement, led by the Pankhursts. In 1910, Davies published ''Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women'' (). Emily Davies died at home in Belsize Park,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, London, on 13 July 1921 aged 91.

Quotes

Recognition

In 2016, the Council of the University of Cambridge approved the use of Davies's name to mark a physical feature within the North West Cambridge Development. On 30 June 2019, a

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

jointly commemorating founders Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon was unveiled at Girton College, Cambridge, by

Baroness Hale Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, (born 31 January 1945) is a British judge who served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020, and serves as a member of the House of Lords ...

, President of the Supreme Court and a graduate of Girton, as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations. The plaque is sited on the main tower at the entrance to Girton off Huntingdon Road.

References

About.com profile of Emily Davies
Jone Johnson Lewis. Retrieved 3 February 2007
Columbia Encyclopedia entry

External links and references

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Emily 1830 births 1921 deaths English feminists English suffragists Fellows of Girton College, Cambridge Mistresses of Girton College, Cambridge People from Southampton Members of the London School Board Founders of colleges of the University of Cambridge