Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

college for

women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...

in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. Having played a leading role in the advancement of women in higher education and public life in general, it became fully

coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

al (i.e. open to men) in the 1960s. In 1985, Bedford College merged with Royal Holloway College, another constituent of the University of London, to form Royal Holloway and Bedford New College. This remains the official name, but it is commonly called

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. It ...

(RHUL).

History

Foundation

The college was founded by Elizabeth Jesser Reid (''née'' Sturch) in 1849, a social reformer and anti-slavery activist, who had been left a private income by her late husband, Dr John Reid, which she used to patronise various philanthropic causes. Mrs Reid and her circle of well-educated friends believed firmly in the need to improve education for women. She leased a house at 47

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many disti ...

in the

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

area of London and opened the Ladies College in Bedford Square. The intention was to provide a liberal, non-sectarian education for women, something no other institution in the United Kingdom provided at the time. Reid placed £1,500 ( GBP) with three male

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

s and persuaded a number of her friends to serve on the management committees and act as teaching professors. In their first term they had 68 pupils. Initially the governance of the college was in the hands of the Ladies Committee (comprising some influential women) and the General Committee made up of the Ladies, the professors of the college and three trustees. It was the first British institution partly directed by women. The General Committee (later the council) soon took over the running of the college, while the Ladies Committee directed the work of the Lady Visitors, who were responsible for the welfare and discipline of the students, and acted as their chaperones. Initially the professors were shocked by the generally low educational standards of the women entering the college, who in most cases had only home-based

governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...

education. In response, Reid founded Bedford College School close to the college in 1853, in an attempt to provide a better standard of entrants. In 1860, the college expanded into 48 Bedford Square, which enabled it to become a residential establishment. "The Residence" was in the charge of a matron, who introduced the practice of students help to run the house and keep their own accounts.

Succession

Elizabeth Reid died in 1866 and left a trust fund and the leases of the college's buildings in the hands of three female trustees

Eliza Bostock Elizabeth Anne "Eliza" Bostock (1817 – 13 April 1898) was a British promoter of women's education. She became a trustee at Bedford College after attending lessons there herself. At the time Bedford College was one of the few places where wome ...

, Jane Martineau and Eleanor Smith. The three of them were concerned that Bedford College School was to become Anglican under the head, Francis Martin. They closed the school although the idea went on without the trustees support as the Gower Street School being led, in time, by Lucy Harrison in 1875. The trustees insisted on a new constitution (as the college had no legal charter at the time). The council was replaced by a committee of management and the college reconstituted as an association under the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

and officially became known as Bedford College. In 1874, the Bedford Square lease expired and the college moved to 8 and 9 York Place, off

Baker Street Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder James Baker. The area was originally high class residential, but now is mainly occupied by commercial premises. The street is ...

was still a trustee but many looked to her as honorary principal and with her knowledge of building and architecture she organised the college's move to York place. The two houses, 8 and 9, acted as one, with the college using the downstairs rooms and the upstairs being the Residence. As numbers began to rise, the college expanded by adding extensions to house science laboratories. In the late 1870s, an entrance examination was introduced and a preparatory department set up for those who did not meet the standards required for college-level entry.

Women with degrees

In 1878, degree examinations of the University of London were opened to women. Bedford College students began gaining University of London

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

and

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

s from the early 1880s. In 1891 the college began training women graduates to teach secondary students. In 1910 Sara Melhuish was appointed as the head of training and within five years there were sixty students and four specialist staff. In 1900, the University of London became a teaching university (before, it had only awarded university degrees); Bedford College became one of its constituent colleges. It applied to the Privy Council for a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

to take the place of its

deed A deed is a legal document that is signed and delivered, especially concerning the ownership of property or legal rights. Specifically, in common law, a deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right ...

of incorporation.

Royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

for the

university charter A university charter is a charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superi ...

was received in 1909, and the college became officially recognised as Bedford College for Women. Continued growth led to a search for new premises, leading to the purchase of the lease on a site at

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

in 1908. A major fund-raising effort was undertaken to provide it with modern amenities. The purpose-built buildings were designed by the architect

Basil Champneys Basil Champneys (17 September 1842 – 5 April 1935) was an English architect and author whose most notable buildings include Manchester's John Rylands Library, Somerville College Library (Oxford), Newnham College, Cambridge, Lady Margaret Ha ...

and officially opened by Queen Mary in 1913. The buildings continued to be extended and rebuilt throughout the 70 years that the college spent at Regent's Park, especially after extensive damage from wartime bombing. The college colours were green and grey, said to be those of

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

. Purple was added in 1938 to represent the university; the resulting colours were, by chance or design, similar to those of women's

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

in the United Kingdom. A permanent record of the pictorial history of the college was made following the final reunion of former students and the collection and cataloguing of the archives in 1985. Bedford firsts include: *First women to run a British institution. *First Social Sciences department in the UK, established 1918 *First woman to hold a chair in philosophy in the UK, Susan Stebbing. *One of the first two women fellows of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

*Fourth woman chairman of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

(TUC), Marie Patterson *The first art school in England where women could draw from life After a brief period of admitting a small number of male

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

students, the college became fully coeducational when 47 men passed through clearing in 1965, and the name reverted to Bedford College. In the early 1980s, Bedford College had approximately 1,700 students and 200 academic staff based in 20 departments.

Merger with Royal Holloway

In 1985, Bedford College merged with Royal Holloway College, another college of the University of London which, like Bedford College, had been a college only for women when first founded. The merged institution took Royal Holloway College's premises in

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, just outside London, as its main campus and took on the name of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (RHBNC). The decision to drop the Bedford name from day-to-day use caused some discontent among graduates of Bedford College, who felt that their old college had now essentially been taken over by Royal Holloway, and that Bedford College's name and history as a pioneering institution in the field of women's education were being forgotten. To give more prominence to the Bedford name, the merged college named a large, newly built library in the centre of its campus the "Bedford Library". Relations between RHUL and some of the Bedford College alumni remain somewhat strained, but many other Bedford College alumni maintain links with RHUL, supporting alumni events and other college work. Bedford College's old premises in Regent's Park is now the home of

Regent's University London Regent's University London (formerly Regent's College) is a private university located in London, England. It is part of Galileo Global Education, Europe’s largest higher education provider. Regent's University London was established in 1984 ...

Notable alumni

* Louise Doris Adams (died 1965), president of the

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* Mary Bridges-Adams (1854–1939), English educationalist * Shahidul Alam (born 1955), Bangladeshi photographer, writer and curator * Chris Aldridge, English

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

newsreader * Ajahn Amaro (born 1956), Theravadin Buddhist monk, and abbot of the

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(born 1956), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (

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) * Janet Backhouse (1938–2004), English expert on illuminated manuscripts *

David Bellamy David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English academic, botanist, television presenter, author and prominent environmental campaigner in the UK and globally. His distinctive, energetic style of presenting became wel ...

(1933–2019), English botanist and television presenter * Helen Caroline Bentwich (1892–1972), English social activist and politician *

Elizabeth Blackwell Elizabeth Blackwell (3 February 182131 May 1910) was an English-American physician, notable as the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the Un ...

(1821–1910), pioneer Anglo-American female physician * Daphne Blundell (1916–2004), British naval officer *

Joane Bowes, MBE Joane is a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,089, in an area of 7.32 km2. It is the birthplace of Bernardino Machado, two times President of Portugal The president of Portu ...

(1911–1981), Biochemist D.Sc. for work in leather and collagen * Mary Brazier (1904–1995), American neuroscientist * Sophie Bryant (1850–1922), Anglo-Irish mathematician and feminist * Anne Buck (1910–2005), British cultural historian and curator of dress * Ada Buisson (1839–1866), English author and novelist *

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

, Gold Coast-born publisher and writer * Waveney Bushell, Guyanese-born educational psychologist *

Dinah Craik Dinah Maria Craik (; born Dinah Maria Mulock, often credited as Miss Mulock or Mrs. Craik; 20 April 1826 – 12 October 1887) was an English novelist and poet. She is best remembered for her novel, '' John Halifax, Gentleman'', which presents ...

(1826–1887), English novelist and poet * Ilse Crawford, English interior designer * Florence Nightingale David (1909–1993), English and American statistician *

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(1907–1998), English politician * Peggy Duff (1910–1981), British political activist, organiser of the

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* Edith Durham (1863–1944), English traveller, artist and writer *

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(1819–1880), English novelist *

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(1930–2009), English historian *

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, English palaeontologist and herpetologist * Penelope Farmer (born 1939), English children's novelist *

Mary Fels Mary Fels (, Fels; March 10, 1863 - May 16, 1953) was a German-born American philanthropist, Georgism, Georgist, Zionism, Zionist, Women's suffrage in the United States, suffragist, economics, economist, author, and journal editor. She was interest ...

(1863–1953), German-born American philanthropist, suffragist, Georgist * Dame Janet Finch (born 1946), English

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

and Professor of Social Relations at

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

1995–2010 * Norvela Forster (1931–1993), English businesswoman and politician * Jane Gardam (born 1928), English novelist and children's writer * Miriam Violet Griffith (1911–1989) electrical engineer, technical author, expert in early

heat pumps A heat pump is a device that uses electricity to transfer heat from a colder place to a warmer place. Specifically, the heat pump transfers thermal energy using a heat pump and refrigeration cycle, cooling the cool space and warming the warm s ...

* Jean Hanson (1919–1973), English biophysicist and zoologist * Jean Henderson (1899–1997), English barrister and Liberal Party politician * Jean Hillier, English town and country planning professor * Elaine Hills-Young (1895–1983), British lead nurse and midwife in Sudan * Edith Humphrey (1875–1978), English inorganic chemist * Eva Ibbotson (née Wiesner, 1925–2010), Austro-English children's author * Alison Jaggar (born 1942), Anglo-American philosopher and feminist professor * Nick Kent (born 1951), English rock critic * Dudley Knowles (1947–2014), English political philosopher and professor * Jean Langhorne, British biologist * Judith Ledeboer (1901–1990), Dutch-English architect * Alice Lee (1858–1939), English mathematician * Kathleen Lonsdale (1903–1971), Anglo-Irish crystallographer * Adelaide Manning (1828–1905), writer and editor * Angela Mason (born 1944), English civil servant and gay activist * Gerda Mayer (1927–2021), English poet born in Czechoslovakia * John Moloney, English comedian and writer * Delyth Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (born 1961), English crossbench peer in the House of Lords *

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(born 1961), English actorRoyal Holloway, University of London
''

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'', 27 July 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2008. * Nicholas O'Shaughnessy, English communications professor * Ursula Owen (born 1937), English publisher and campaigner for free expression * Margaret Partridge (1891–1967), electrical engineer, contractor, founder member of the

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and the Electrical Association for Women * Delphine Parrott (1928–2016), English endocrinologist and immunologist * Marie Patterson (born 1934), English trade unionist *Dame Nancy Broadfield Parkinson (1904–1974), controller of the

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(Home Division) during the

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. * Edith Helen Paull (1902–1975), Indian nursing matron * Kate Perugini (1839–1929), English painter and daughter of

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* Rosalind Pitt-Rivers FRS (1907–1990), English biochemist * Jenny Randerson, Baroness Randerson (born 1948), Welsh Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords * Winifred Raphael (1898–1978), English occupational psychologist * Hazel Alden Reason (1901–1976), English chemist and science writer * Sarah Remond (1826–1894), African-American abolitionist, one of the few African-American women to speak publicly about abolishing slavery in America during the 1800s."Pioneering women"
Royal Holloway University of London. * Jean Rook (1931–1991), English journalist * Andrew Cunningham Scott (born 1952), English geologist and professor * Joe Saward (born 1961), English motor-sports journalist * Athene Seyler (1889–1990), English actress and a President of RADA *

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(born 1948), English critic, novelist and biographer * Jacqueline Simpson (born 1930), English researcher and writer on folklore * Audrey Smith (1915–1981), English cryobiologist * Roger Steare (born 1958), English ethicist and corporate philosopher * Simon Thurley (born 1962), English architectural historian * Mavis Tiller (1901–1989), New Zealand women's advocate, scientist and president of the National Council of Women of New Zealand from 1966 to 1970 * Mary Treadgold (1910–2005), English novelist and children's writer * Fred Trethewey (born 1949), Anglican priest and Archdeacon of Dudley *

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(1862–1847), English academic and educator * Sarah Tyacke (born 1945), English historian of cartography *

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(born 1954), current Labour MP for

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* Amanda Vickery (born 1962), English historian and broadcaster * Diana Warwick, Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe (born 1945), Labour member of the House of Lords * Evelyn Whitaker (1844–1929), English children's writer * Alex Wilkie (born 1948), English mathematician * Elizabeth Williams (1895–1986), English mathematician and educationist * Katharine Worth (1922–2015), English drama professor * Margaret Wright (1940–2012), British

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politician * Florence Yeldham (1877–1945), English school teacher and historian of arithmetic * Alice Zimmern (1855–1939), English translator and suffragist

Principals

* Elizabeth Jesser Reid, Founder (1849–1864) then run by trustees until first principal appointed * Dame Emily Penrose, First principal (1893–1898) also Royal Holloway (1898–1907) * Ethel Hurlbatt (1898–1906) * Dame Margaret Jansen Tuke (1907–1929) * Geraldine Emma May Jebb CBE (1930–1951) * Norah Lillian Penston (1951–1964) * Elizabeth Millicent Chilver (1964–1971), later Principal of

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

* John Nicholson Black (1971–1981) * Dorothy Wedderburn, last Principal of Bedford College (1981–1985)

References

Sources

External links

History of Royal Holloway and Bedford New CollegeRoyal Holloway, University of London ArchivesGenesis website page on Bedford College's archived papers

Genesis website page on Elizabeth Jesser Reid's archived papers

Notable Alumnae
webpage of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
Bedford College student listsBedford College in World Ward II
accessed 27 May 2012 {{Authority control Royal Holloway, University of London Former colleges of the University of London Former women's universities and colleges in the United Kingdom Universities and colleges established in 1849 Educational institutions disestablished in 1985 1849 establishments in England Regent's Park Women in London