(née Akroyd)

Oriental scholar, translator.

13 December 1842 – 29 March 1929

Education

Proficient in German, French and Latin, learned Bengali before going to India. Later learned Persian and Turki.

1862 Enrolled at Bedford College where she studied for three years.

Some Key Achievements and Interests

Strongly supported non-sectarian education and education for women.

Was a highly talented linguist and earned a reputation for the reliability of her translations of key texts.

1872 Went to India as part of the Brahmo Samaj Hindu reformist sect to help Indian girls receive a good education and start a school for Hindu girls.

1873-1875 Ran the school alone after breaking with the Brahmos, before being forced to close it due to sectarian attacks.

1883 Publicly opposed the Ilbert bill of 1883 which allowed senior Indian magistrates to preside over cases involving British subjects in India. Her stance was influenced by her perception of the unfair position of women in the society however, it distanced her from her Liberal friends in England.

Translated the Humayun-nama (Persian), the life of Humayun, the second Mughal Emperor, by Gulbadan Begum, daughter of Emperor Babur. This took her twenty years of research and study.

Translated the Babur-nama, the diaries of Emperor Babur, from Chagatai Turkish, which was very little studied at the time. This continues to be consulted as the standard translation of the Timurid text.

Issues

Raised four children and put family before the pursuit of a career.

Faced press attacks from the Brahmo sect due to administration conflict, leading her to break with them in 1873.

Progressively suffered from hearing loss until she became almost totally deaf in her 60s, leading to private feelings of social isolation.

1890 Youngest child died aged 5.

1893 Oldest daughter died aged 15.

However, the deaths of her children prompted her to devote time to studying languages and translating oriental texts.

Connection to Bloomsbury

Bedford College.

Originally found out about the Humayun-nama from the British Museum, through her husband and worked in the British Museum.

Female Networks

Through Bedford College and Unitarian networks.

Writing / Publications include

1890 Translation of Emperor Akbar by F.A. de Noer (from German)

1902 Translation of the Humayun-nama (from Persian).

1912-1921 Translation in four installments of the Babur-nama (from Chagatai Turkish).

1908 Translation of The Key of the Hearts of Beginners by Bibi Brooke(from Persian)

Further reading

Oxford Bibliography – Beveridge [née Akroyd], Annette Susannah

JSTOR – Woman to Woman: Annette, the Princess, and the Bibi