Elspeth Rhŷs
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Elspeth Hughes-Davies, Lady Rhŷs (26 May 1841 – 29 April 1911), known also as Elspeth Rhŷs, was a Welsh teacher, linguist, and campaigner for
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
and education.


Education and career

Hughes-Davies began her career as a pupil-teacher in North Wales, later progressing to the
Borough Road Teacher Training College The West London Institute of Higher Education (WLIHE), a two-campus academic establishment, was located in Isleworth and East Twickenham, West London, UK from 1976 until 1995 when it became Brunel University College. In 1997 it was fully integra ...
for Women in London. Afterwards, by 1861, she had been appointed headmistress of the British Girls' School in
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
, Anglesey, and was later appointed head of the British School in
Broughton, Flintshire Broughton ( ) is a village in Flintshire, Wales, close to the Wales–England border, located to the west of the city of Chester, England, in the community of Broughton and Bretton. Along with the nearby village of Bretton, the total popula ...
(the date this occurred is not known). In addition to her teaching career in Wales, during travels on the European Continent over several years, Hughes-Davies worked as an English teacher in Boulogne, France. She also studied art in Rome at the studio of Achille Buzzi, a narrative painter, on her travels. She went on to study languages at the Sorbonne, where she met the French poet
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
. She gave him Welsh lessons in exchange for
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
lessons. However, with the outbreak of the
Franco-Prussian war The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
in 1870, she left Paris and moved to Vienna. From Vienna, Hughes-Davies wrote a letter to '' Y Goleuad'', a Welsh-language
Calvinistic Methodist The Presbyterian Church of Wales (), also known as the Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity based in Wales. The Calvinistic Methodist movement has its origins in the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival ...
weekly paper supportive of liberal politics. In the letter'','' published on 8 October 1870, she discussed her views on the
Franco-Prussian war The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
. This received praise from the paper's editor, John Davies. The letter from Vienna was the first of three letters to the paper, with two subsequent letters written from Berlin in 1871.


Suffragist and campaigner for women's education

Elspeth Hughes-Davies was known for her role as a campaigner for women's rights, including suffrage and education. Her daughters, Olwen and Myfanwy, went on to become suffragists, and her husband,
John Rhŷs Sir John Rhŷs (; 21 June 1840 – 17 December 1915) was a Welsh scholar, fellow of the British Academy, Celticist and the first professor of Celtic at Oxford University. Early years and education He was born John Rees at Ponterwyd in Cere ...
, was also a suffragist. During her husband's time as Principal of
Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...
, their home, the Principal's Lodgings, was known as a "centre for suffrage activism". In 1882, Hughes-Davies (known by then as Mrs Rhys) presided over a discussion on women's education at the
National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...
in
Bala, Gwynedd Bala () is a town and community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, Wales. Formerly an Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district, Bala lies in the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionethshire, at the north end of Bal ...
. There, she said that "the education of women ought not to be regulated by the whims of stupid men." It was reported in
The Cambrian The Cambrian, a weekly newspaper started by George Haynes and L. W. Dillwyn in 1804, was the first newspaper published in Wales. Its original publisher was Thomas Jenkins. The full masthead proclaimed ''The Cambrian and Weekly General Advertise ...
, a Welsh newspaper: "Mrs Rhys, in a clever paper, contested the general impression that the amount of education a girl ought to receive was limited. Hughes-Davies was a member of the Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage. In 1888, Lydia Becker, an early leader in the society and its first secretary at the time, encouraged Hughes-Davies to apply for its General Committee in a letter. That year, Hughes-Davies also suggested the establishment of an Oxford branch of the
Women's Liberal Association The Women's Liberal Federation was an organisation that was part of the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom. History The Women's Liberal Federation (WLF) was formed on the initiative of Sophia Fry, who in 1886 called a meeting at her house of f ...
, which "championed women's suffrage in the city." She went on to become the vice-president of the Oxford branch and, by 1892, she had become President of the mid-Oxfordshire branch of the Association. In addition, she is said to have corresponded with Liberal MPs and hosted some of them at the family home, including
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
and his family.


Marriage and family

In 1861, while headmistress of the British Girls' School in
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
, Hughes-Davies met
John Rhŷs Sir John Rhŷs (; 21 June 1840 – 17 December 1915) was a Welsh scholar, fellow of the British Academy, Celticist and the first professor of Celtic at Oxford University. Early years and education He was born John Rees at Ponterwyd in Cere ...
, then headmaster of
Rhosybol is a village and community in Anglesey, Wales. The community population at the 2011 census was 1,078. Located south of the town of Amlwch, the village is close to both Llyn Alaw, the largest body of water on the island, and Parys Mountain, t ...
school. They were engaged for 5 years before marrying on 6 August 1872 at
Llanberis Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...
Parish Church. They shared an interest in languages and Rhŷs' first gift to Elspeth was said to be a French-German dictionary. After settling in Rhyl, North Wales, Elspeth and John had 3 daughters together: Gwladus, Myfanwy, and Olwen. Their eldest, Gwladus, born in 1873, died as an infant on 10 June 1874. Myfanwy was born on 1 August 1874, and Olwen was born in 1876. After her husband was appointed Professor of Celtic at
Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...
in 1877, the family moved to Oxford. According to a 2018 publication ''Oxford Suffrage Women,'' the Rhys family was "one of the most important and active in Oxford Liberal, women's education and suffrage circles". In 1895, when he became Principal of Jesus College, the family moved into the Principal's Lodgings at the college, where Hughes-Davies lived until her death in 1911. During the summer vacation, the family returned to Wales annually, including a visit to the
National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...
. Hughes-Davies and her husband were interested in Celtic
epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
and, while in Wales, they went on trips to search for
Ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...
inscriptions.


Death

Elspeth Hughes-Davies died in Oxford on 29 April 1911 at the age of 69. She was buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, where her husband, John, was later buried with her on 23 December 1915 after his death on 17 December. Their grave is marked by a terracotta monument, commissioned by their daughters, Olwen and Myfanwy.John, A. V. (2019). ''Rocking the boat : Welsh women who championed equality 1840-1990''. Parthian. The Welsh-language publication '''Y Gymraes ( English: ''The Welshwoman'') published an obituary for Hughes-Davies in August 1911, written by Professor John Young Evans, and a picture of her was reproduced on the edition's front page.J. Young Evans, (1911), 'Yr Arglwyddes Rhys', Y Gymraes, vol. XV, no. 179, 113-16


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes-Davies, Elspeth 1841 births 1911 deaths Welsh women's rights activists 19th-century British linguists Alumni of Brunel University London College of Sorbonne alumni People from Llanberis 19th-century Welsh women educators