Valerie Louise Pearl (née Bence; 31 December 1926 – 29 January 2016) was a British historian who was noted for her work on the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. She was the second

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

New Hall, Cambridge New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

Life

Pearl was the daughter of

Cyril Bence Cyril Raymond Bence (26 November 1902 – 7 September 1992) was a Welsh people, Welsh toolmaker, part-time lecturer and politician. Earlier career Bence was born near Bristol, the son of a farmer and meat purveyor. He went to school in Newport, ...

, the former Labour Party

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...

. She was educated at

St Anne's College, Oxford St Anne's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 and gained full college status in 1959. Originally a women's college, it has admitted men since 1979. It has some 450 undergraduate and 200 ...

, going up in 1946 and gaining a Second-Class degree in Modern History. She subsequently gained a D.Phil. for her thesis, supervised by Christopher Hill, on London and the outbreak of the

Puritan Revolution The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of reli ...

, 1625–1643. This was published in revised form by the Oxford University Press in 1961. Between 1965 and 1968, Pearl was a lecturer in History at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ir ...

. Having been offered a Fellowship at Somerville provided she resided in Oxford on a full-time basis, she reluctantly moved to

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, as Reader in London History, later holding a chair in the same subject. She was actively involved (with

H. J. Dyos Harold James Dyos (1921–1978) was a British historian, known for his contributions to urban history. He wrote many essays addressing the issue of urbanization. Career He graduated B.A. from the London School of Economics in 1949, and gained ...

) in the foundation of the ''London Journal'' (a "Review of Metropolitan Society Past and Present") in 1975, and served as editor of the first five numbers, until 1977. She served as president of the

London and Middlesex Archaeological Society The London and Middlesex Archaeological Society (LAMAS) is a society founded in 1855 for the study of the archaeology and local history of the City of London and the historic county of Middlesex. It also takes an interest in districts that were h ...

in 1980–81. In 1981 Pearl was appointed as the second

, a position she held until 1995.To expand the

New Hall Art Collection The Women's Art Collection (before 2022, the New Hall Art Collection) is a permanent collection of modern and contemporary art by women artists, at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge (previously New Hall), England. It includes over 600 works b ...

, she wrote in 1992 to 100 of the leading women artists in Britain and received some 75 donations in return.What's the point of a museum of art by women?
''The Guardian'' (London). 28 July 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2013.

Personal life

In 1949, Valerie Bence married Morris Pearl, with whom she had a daughter, Sara.

Publications

* * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Portrait of Valerie Pearl
by

Maggi Hambling Margaret ("Maggi") J. Hambling (born 23 October 1945) is a British artist. Though principally a painter her best-known public works are the sculptures ''A Conversation with Oscar Wilde'' and '' A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft'' in London, ...

1926 births 2016 deaths Academics of University College London Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford British women historians English historians Fellows of New Hall, Cambridge Fellows of Somerville College, Oxford Presidents of New Hall, Cambridge {{UK-historian-stub

Life

Personal life

Publications

References

Further reading

External links