Emily Davies

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Standard Name: Davies, Emily
Birth Name: Sarah Emily Davies
ED 's literary work arose from her deep-seated belief in equal treatment for women. Most of her articles and essays were pragmatic contributions to the late nineteenth-century campaign, of which she was a leader, to improve female education. She positioned herself not as a radical seeking to overthrow the structures of society, but as a member of the establishment seeking reasonable reform.
Photograph of a painting of Emily Davies by Rudolph Lehmann, 1880, seated with her hands clasped in her lap. She is wearing a dark green dress, with white ruffles at the sleeves and neckline, and a white cap on her head.

Connections

Connections Author name Excerpt
Friends, Associates George Eliot
Some of her closest friends were prominent feminists, and they were among those soonest willing to flout convention and visit her after her union to Lewes.
Despite the social and spiritual gulf between them, GE
Friends, Associates Emily Faithfull
EF suffered in various ways as a result of the trial. The sense that she had prevaricated, at the very least, alienated many of her associates on The English Woman's Journal, including Emily Davies
Friends, Associates Helen Taylor
HT moved in political and social circles that included Elizabeth Garrett Anderson , Millicent Garrett Fawcett , Louisa Garrett Anderson , Emily Davies , Elizabeth Wolstenholme , Frances Mary Buss , Dorothea Beale , and Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon .
Kent, Susan Kingsley. Sex and Suffrage in Britain, 1860-1914. Princeton University Press, 1987.
186
Robson, Ann P. et al. “Introduction and Editorial Materials”. Sexual Equality, University of Toronto Press, 1994, p. vii - xxxv; various pages.
xxvii
Friends, Associates Matthew Arnold
MA was acquainted with Charlotte Brontë and wrote a poem dedicated to her following her death. He also knew Rhoda Broughton , Emily Davies , and Harriet Martineau .
Friends, Associates Bessie Rayner Parkes
In later years she became friendly with hymn-writer Elizabeth Rundle Charles .
Lowndes, Marie Belloc. I, Too, Have Lived in Arcadia. Macmillan, 1941.
338
One of her closest non-literary friends was Mary Merryweather , a Quaker nurse who shared BRP 's interest in promoting standards of...
Friends, Associates Maria Grey
Her work for women's education brought MG into contact with Dorothea Beale , Emily Davies , Mary Carpenter , and Mary Gurney . Her time in Italy brought her other friends, among them the operatic...
Friends, Associates Matilda Hays
Working on the English Woman's Journal strengthened MH 's connection to members of the Langham Place Group . The tie that she formed with with Theodosia, Lady Monson , lasted into her obscure later years...
Friends, Associates Jessie Boucherett
Partly through her membership of the Kensington Society (a social and political discussion group of about fifty women inaugurated in 1865), JB broadened her acquaintance with significant members of the feminist movement, including Frances Power Cobbe
Instructor Henrietta Müller
This was the first year that Girton was located at the village of the same name, just outside Cambridge, instead of further away at Hitchin. While enrolled there, Henrietta Müller was inspired—in part by Emily Davies
Occupation John Stuart Mill
In 1866 JSM presented to the House of Commons with parliament's first major suffrage petition. The petition, drafted by Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon , Jessie Boucherett , and Emily Davies , and signed by...
Occupation Emily Shirreff
ES began her term as headmistress of Emily Davies 's Girton College (at that time known as Hitchin College); she held the position for less than a year.
Ellsworth, Edward W. Liberators of the Female Mind: The Shirreff Sisters, Educational Reform, and the Women’s Movement. Greenwood, 1979.
140
Occupation Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon
BLSB helped Emily Davies to found Girton College , which was of but not in Cambridge, the first step towards a women's college at one of the ancient English universities.
Herstein, Sheila R. A Mid-Victorian Feminist: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Yale University Press, 1985.
173
Betham-Edwards, Matilda. Reminiscences. G. Redway, 1898, p. vi, 354 pp.
273
Occupation John Stuart Mill
JSM served as independent MP for Westminster from 1865 to 1868.
Drabble, Margaret, editor. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 5th ed., Oxford University Press, 1985.
Mill, John Stuart, and John Jacob Coss. Autobiography. Columbia University Press, 1924.
vii
The Concise Dictionary of National Biography: From Earliest Times to 1985. Oxford University Press, 1992, 3 vols.
His campaign for election was supported by Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon , Bessie Rayner Parkes , Emily Davies , and Isa Craig .
Occupation Josephine Butler
In 1868 JB (as president of the organization from 1867 until around 1871) presented its petition for the examination of women candidates for entrance to Cambridge University . The petition was granted in 1869, and...
politics Isa Craig
Together with feminist colleagues Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon , Bessie Rayner Parkes , and Emily Davies , IC helped publicise John Stuart Mill's parliamentary nomination.
Hirsch, Pam. Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon 1827-1891: Feminist, Artist and Rebel. Chatto and Windus, 1998.
216

Timeline

March 1858: The English Woman's Journal, a monthly magazine...

Women writers item

March 1858

The English Woman's Journal, a monthly magazine on the theory and practice of organised feminism, began publication in London, with financial support from Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon and others, under the editorship of...

Late 1859: The offices of The English Woman's Journal...

Women writers item

Late 1859

The offices of The English Woman's Journal moved from Cavendish Square to 19 Langham Place, where a ladies' club was also planned.
Herstein, Sheila R. A Mid-Victorian Feminist: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Yale University Press, 1985.
140
Matthew, Henry Colin Gray et al., editors. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. http://www.oxforddnb.com/.

1862: The London meeting of the National Association...

Building item

1862

The London meeting of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science accepted a paper from Emily Davies on Medicine as a Profession for Women.
Blake, Catriona, and Wendy Savage. The Charge of the Parasols: Women’s Entry to the Medical Profession. Women’s Press, 1990.
57

April 1862: The Senate of the University of London voted...

Building item

April 1862

The Senate of the University of London voted against allowing women into their medical degree programme.
Blake, Catriona, and Wendy Savage. The Charge of the Parasols: Women’s Entry to the Medical Profession. Women’s Press, 1990.
62

August 1864: The English Woman's Journal, a practical...

Building item

August 1864

The English Woman's Journal, a practical and theoretical source of organized feminism from London, merged into The Alexandra Magazine and English Woman's Journal.
Blain, Virginia et al., editors. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present. Yale University Press; Batsford, 1990.
under Anna Brownell Jameson
Doughan, David, and Denise Sanchez. Feminist Periodicals, 1855-1984. Harvester Press, 1987.
1-2

August 1864: The English Woman's Journal, a practical...

Building item

August 1864

The English Woman's Journal, a practical and theoretical source of organized feminism from London, merged into The Alexandra Magazine and English Woman's Journal.
Blain, Virginia et al., editors. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present. Yale University Press; Batsford, 1990.
under Anna Brownell Jameson
Doughan, David, and Denise Sanchez. Feminist Periodicals, 1855-1984. Harvester Press, 1987.
1-2

1865: Cambridge University formally admitted female...

Building item

1865

Cambridge University formally admitted female students to Local Examinations, which were the culminating assessment of secondary schooling.
Howarth, Janet, and Emily Davies. “Introduction”. The Higher Education of Women, Hambledon Press, 1988.
xxvii
Herstein, Sheila R. A Mid-Victorian Feminist: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Yale University Press, 1985.
174
Pedersen, Joyce Senders. The Reform of Girls’ Secondary and Higher Education in Victorian England: A Study of Elites and Educational Change. Garland, 1987.
49

23 May 1865: The Kensington Society, a quarterly women's...

Building item

23 May 1865

The Kensington Society , a quarterly women's discussion group devoted to social and political issues, held its inaugural meeting in London.
Stephen, Barbara. Emily Davies and Girton College. Constable, 1927.
106, 147
Mitchell, Sally. Frances Power Cobbe: Victorian Feminist, Journalist, Reformer. University of Virginia Press, 2004.
150

1866: Anne Jemima Clough and Josephine Butler founded...

Building item

1866

Anne Jemima Clough and Josephine Butler founded the Liverpool Ladies' Educational Society to provide a serious course of lectures for women.
Borer, Mary Cathcart. Willingly to School: A History of Women’s Education. Lutterworth Press, 1976.
285
McWilliams-Tullberg, Rita. Women at Cambridge. Gollancz, 1975.
51-3

7 June 1866: John Stuart Mill presented to the House of...

National or international item

7 June 1866

John Stuart Mill presented to the House of Commons a suffrage petition signed by 1,499 women, drafted by Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon , Jessie Boucherett , and Emily Davies .
Rover, Constance. Women’s Suffrage and Party Politics in Britain, 1866-1914. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967.
2, 5, 218
Soldon, Norbert. Women in British Trade Unions 1874-1976. Gill and Macmillan, 1978.
7

1868: London University established a special examination...

Building item

1868

London University established a special examination for women over eighteen.
Levine, Philippa. Victorian Feminism 1850-1900. Hutchinson, 1987.
36
Stephen, Barbara. Emily Davies and Girton College. Constable, 1927.
105
Pedersen, Joyce Senders. The Reform of Girls’ Secondary and Higher Education in Victorian England: A Study of Elites and Educational Change. Garland, 1987.
50
Howarth, Janet, and Emily Davies. “Introduction”. The Higher Education of Women, Hambledon Press, 1988.
xl
Levine, Philippa. Victorian Feminism 1850-1900. Hutchinson, 1987.
36

1868: The report of the Schools Inquiry or Taunton...

National or international item

1868

The report of the Schools Inquiry or Taunton Commission supported the view of Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon , Emily Davies , and others that girls' education required reform.
Haydn, Joseph. Haydn’s Dictionary of Dates and Universal Information. Editor Vincent, Benjamin, 25th ed., G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1911.
447
Spender, Dale, editor. The Education Papers. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1987.
141
Herstein, Sheila R. A Mid-Victorian Feminist: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Yale University Press, 1985.
174-5

1869: The Cambridge Higher Local Examinations for...

Building item

1869

The Cambridge Higher Local Examinations for Women were instituted as a result of campaigning by Emily Davies and the North of England Council for Promoting the Higher Education of Women .
McWilliams-Tullberg, Rita. Women at Cambridge. Gollancz, 1975.
60
Howarth, Janet, and Emily Davies. “Introduction”. The Higher Education of Women, Hambledon Press, 1988.
xi

2 August 1869: The Endowed Schools Act effected educational...

National or international item

2 August 1869

The Endowed Schools Act effected educational reform and improved funding for girls' schooling.
Purvis, June. A History of Women’s Education in England. Open University Press, 1991.
77
Curtis, Stanley James. History of Education in Great Britain. Seventh, University Tutorial Press, 1967.
169-71
Borer, Mary Cathcart. Willingly to School: A History of Women’s Education. Lutterworth Press, 1976.
275-80
Kamm, Josephine. Indicative Past: A Hundred Years of The Girls’ Public Day School Trust. Allen and Unwin, 1971.
30-1
The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Printed by J. Bentham, 1762–2024.
statutes

16 October 1869: Educational reformer Emily Davies welcomed...

Building item

16 October 1869

Educational reformer Emily Davies welcomed the first five students to Girton College .
Herstein, Sheila R. A Mid-Victorian Feminist: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon. Yale University Press, 1985.
180
McWilliams-Tullberg, Rita. Women at Cambridge. Gollancz, 1975.
62, 67
The World of Learning. 45th ed., Allen and Unwin, 1995.
1594
Purvis, June. A History of Women’s Education in England. Open University Press, 1991.
113

Texts

Davies, Emily. “Chronology, Introduction”. Collected Letters, 1861-1875, edited by Ann E. Murphy and Deirdre Raftery, University of Virginia Press, 2004, p. ix - xii, xix-lv.
Davies, Emily. Collected Letters, 1861-1875. Editors Murphy, Ann E. and Deirdre Raftery, University of Virginia Press, 2004.
Parkes, Bessie Rayner et al., editors. English Woman’s Journal. English Woman’s Journal Company.
Howarth, Janet, and Emily Davies. “Introduction”. The Higher Education of Women, Hambledon Press, 1988.
Davies, Emily. Medicine as a Profession for Women. Emily Faithfull, 1862.
Davies, Emily. On Secondary Instruction as Relating to Girls. William Ridgway, 1864.
Davies, Emily. The Application of Funds to the Education of Girls. Longmans, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, 1865.
Davies, Emily. The Higher Education of Women. Alexander Strahan, 1866.
Davies, Emily. The Higher Education of Women. AMS Press, 1973.
Davies, Emily. The Higher Education of Women. Editor Howarth, Janet, The Hambledon Press, 1988.
Davies, Emily. The Higher Education of Women. Editor Howarth, Janet, Cambridge University Press, 2010, http://www.cambridge.org/series/sSeries.asp?code=CLOR.
Davies, Emily. The Women’s Suffrage Movement: I. Why Should We Care for It? II. How Can We Help to Further It?. Central Society for Women’s Suffrage, 1905.
Davies, Emily. Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women, 1860-1908. Bowes and Bowes, 1910.
Davies, Emily, and E. E. Constance Jones. Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women, 1860-1908. AMS Press, 1973.
Davies, Emily. Women in the Universities of England and Scotland. Macmillan and Bowes, 1896.