Ladies’ College / Bedford College
Relating to its time in Bloomsbury:
1849 Ladies College founded at 47 Bedford Square. Renamed Bedford College 1859. 1900 Incorporated into the University of London. 1874 moved out of Bloomsbury to York Place.
1878 Women were allowed to take degrees at the University of London.
The Governing body of the College included women.
Elizabeth Jesser Reid wanted the college
to be
- Non-denominational
- Open to women of any class with tuition fees tailored accordingly and scholarships available to those without financial means.
and to offer:
- Subjects including the sciences, mathematics, Greek and at a high standard
From 1890 teacher training courses were offered and courses in public health and hygiene.
From the outset, the government of the College was in the hands of committees: the Ladies Committee and the General Committee.
The General Committee included male professors and lay people and the three trustees of the College.
1874 Moved from Bedford Place
Women involved in the founding of the College:
Elisabeth Jesser Reid
Anna Swanwick involved in the founding of and sat on the Ladies Committee.
In the Ladies committee:
Ann Scott
Anna Swanwick
Anne (Annie) Jemima Clough
Emily Davies
Fanny Wedgwood
Lady Romilly
Sophia de Morgan
Involved in the running of the College:
Eliza Bostock, house manager
Anna Swanwick: Member of the Council of Bedford College.
Trustees after her retirement and later the death of Elisabeth Jesser Reid:
Eliza Bostock, Jane Martineau, Eleanor Smith
Alumni included:
Alice Louisa Zimmern
Anna Swanwick (enrolled 1849-50)
Barbara Leigh Smith
Bessie Rayner Parkes
Eliza Bostock 1849
Frances Martin
Henrietta Le Breton
Jane Martineau
Katey Perugini
Lucy Harrison
Marian Evans
Sarah Parker Remond
Ladies Visitors who attended lectures as chaperones. (some of whom sat on the College council) included:
Duties of the Lady Visitors:
- Every Visitor will endeavour to uphold decorum and silence in the Institution, and maintain in her Class Room attention and punctuality.
- With a view to the health of the Pupils, the Lady Visitors are requested to direct their attention to the ventilation and the general comfort of the rooms.
- It is hoped that the Young Ladies will look to the Lady Visitors as Friends, to whom they may come for advice and assistance.
1851 Anna Swanwick, 1884 elected Visitor to Bedford College, the first woman to hold this position.
Emily Davies
Fanny Wedgwood
Hannah Hilditch
Sophia de Morgan
Lady Romilly also attended classes
Women Lecturers
Further reading
Ashton, Rosemary; Victorian Bloomsbury; London 2012.
Bedford College Papers – Archives Hub (jisc.ac.uk)
Pioneering women’s education at Bedford College – Archives Hub Blog (jisc.ac.uk)