Women in the nineteenth century had restricted opportunities for higher education. One woman’s vision helped transform the academic landscape in Britain. Explore her life, beliefs, and the enduring legacy of the college she established.
Elizabeth Jesser Reid’s Vision and Legacy
Elizabeth Jesser Reid, born in1789 the daughter of a wealthy Unitarian ironmonger, wanted to change that. Her dream was that women should have pathways to the best education possible. In 1849 she founded Bedford College – the country’s first higher education college for women. As a Unitarian, Elizabeth would have been a believer in one God, rejecting the idea of the holy trinity and literal interpretations of the bible. In her religious community, individuals’ beliefs were accepted within a set of core values.
Unitarians believe religion should make a difference and aim to make life better and fairer for people. In the nineteenth century many were involved in social improvement including campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade and for education for both boys and girls.
Elizabeth herself had a good education compared to the majority of her contemporaries. She was encouraged to learn and discuss ideas that would benefit society because her parents believed it was important for girls to be educated. However, Elizabeth always felt that her own education had been deficient and believed that women needed access to further education and opportunities only given to men.
Founding and Development of Bedford College
In 1821 Elizabeth married John Reid,a doctor M.D. who had inherited land on the River Clyde at Glasgow which had become extremely valuable as the port grew in size. His death in July 1822, only 13 months after their marriage, gave Mrs Reid an independent income. Initially she donated to good causes and was involved in various projects within Unitarian groups. However, after the death of her parents she moved to York Terrace in Regents Park with her sister and became part of a group of highly educated, forward thinking men and women. They may well have encouraged her in her belief that she could start a college for women. Something she felt so strongly about.
So in 1849, Elizabeth took on the lease at 47 Bedford Square and opened her non sectarian Ladies College. Subjects offered included the sciences, maths, and Greek, all courses that were never previously available to women. Bedford’s teaching also included drawing classes, allowing women to study life drawing from real people. Professors from UCL were persuaded to teach the classes and the governing body of the college included women.
Notable Early Students and Contributions
The first students included Sarah Parker Remond, the first black woman to undertake a round Britain lecture tour about the slavery question, the artist Barbara Bodichon and novelist George Eliot. Charles Dickens’ daughter Catherine (‘Katey’) Elizabeth Macready Perugini (née Dickens) came to study art when she was just 13. The first students often lived at home and travelled into college each day to attend classes, and it wasn’t unusual for women to attend one or two classes a week, rather than taking a full time course.
Despite all the preparations, the early years of the College were difficult. Elizabeth was hoping for hundreds of applications but in fact only received a few dozen at first. Finances were stretched.There were also complaints from the lecturers that students were not sufficiently educated for their classes. Subjects taught by governesses were not taught at the same level as those given at public school to boys. A junior school was set up next door to give foundation work to girls wishing to take higher level courses later on. Elizabeth died in 1866 when she was 77 but her work lived on due to a trust fund she had set up and because a different way of managing the college was developed.
Growth and Long-Term Impact
As the 1870’s progressed, the College came through its early difficulties and began to expand. In 1878 when the University of London allowed women to graduate, the first university in the country to do so, Bedford College was able to offer degrees. The first students graduated in 1881.Teacher training was offered from the 1890’s as well as public health and hygiene qualifications.
Hilda Martindale, went on to become one of the first female government factory inspectors as a result of taking the course. Larger premises in nearby York Place were obtained in 1874 to deal with the increase in numbers and in 1913 the college moved to Regent’s Park finally merging with Royal Holloway College in 1985.
Without pioneers like Elizabeth Jesser Reid, opportunities for women to follow courses in higher education and to have careers in fields previously only available to men would have taken much longer. Bedford College played a huge part in the advancement of women in so many areas.
