Catherine Alice Raisin 1855 – 1945
Mineralogist.
24 April 1855 – 13 July 1945
Education
Attended North London Collegiate School.
1875-1876 Studied Geology at University College London (UCL), the first woman to do so.
1876-1877 Studied Mineralogy at UCL.
1879 Passed the London University Intermediate Science Exam which opened for women. This enabled her to complete her degree.
Attended Thomas Huxley’s zoological lectures at the Royal School of Mines.
1880-1882 Attended classes in geology and botany at UCL.
1884 Awarded BSc (Hons) in geology and zoology.
1898 Received DSc, the second woman to achieve this.
Some Key Achievements and Interests
Taught at North London Collegiate School until 1875.
1884 Continued at Bedford College as a research worker and as a voluntary assistant to Prof Bonney.
1886-1890 Worked as a demonstrator of botany at Bedford College.
Conducted field trips with female students.
1880 Founded the Somerville Club, a discussion club for women, serving as Honorary Secretary and then Chairman. The club folded in 1887 when other educational amenities for women were available.
1890-1907 Head of the Geology Department, Bedford College.
1891-1907 Head of the Botany Department, Bedford College.
1893 Received a career fund from the Geological Society though could not become a Fellow.
1887-1905 Published journal articles on her study of rocks using microscopic petrology and mineralogy, some with Bonney. Her specialist interest was the study of chert, serpentines and spilites and she gained a reputation as an expert of metamorphic facies.
1887 Her first paper was read at the Geological Society* by T G Bonney. As a woman, she was not allowed to present a paper.
1898 Accepted offer of the post of Vice Principal of Bedford College but resigned when elected a Fellow of University College 1902.
Member of the Geologists’ Association** for 67 years.
1903 Published a paper on the findings of her work on the microcrystalline formation of chert in Jurassic era Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association.
1906 Became a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London.
Worked for better educational and employment opportunities for women and supported many. Was a role model for women in her field.
1907 The departments of Geology and Botany were split, as she had recommended. Raisin remained Head of Geology until her retirement in 1920.
Helped establish a separate Geography Department, becoming head of this 1916-1920
1919 Became a Fellow of the Geological Society.
Issues
*Women could not become Fellows of the Geological Society of London (founded 1807) or the Royal Society (founded 1660) until 1919 when by law women had to be accepted. Before that time women could submit papers but were not always allowed to read them themselves. The exclusion of women was usually based on a notion that women lacked the intellectual vigour for scientific study and the physical stamina for fieldwork.
**An exception was the Geologists’ Association (GA), founded 1858, which gave women equal rights to men, supporting amateurs.
As Head of two Departments had to struggle to continue her research work, her work increased by Bedford College’s move from York Place to Regent’s Park. She also lacked staff to support her own curating, lecturing and administrative roles.
Although head of departments, until 1910 she was only offered one-year appointments.
Women have often been neglected in histories of geologists despite their role as important research assistants. Many worked voluntarily. Those who did publish scientific work often did so anonymously or under the name of a male relation.
Connection to Bloomsbury
University College London.
Female networks
extensive
Work
Papers published in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, Geological Magazine, the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association.
See further reading for more details.
Further reading
Microsoft Word – burek-catherineraisin.doc (openrepository.com)