Ellen Charlotte Higgins
Encyclopedia
Ellen Charlotte HigginsOxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 23 June 2011 was the third Principal of Royal Holloway College, University of London (RHC) from 1907-1935. Her father was a publisher and both parents were of Scottish
descent.
. (RHC entered students in examinations at one or both universities at the time, but Oxford did not award degrees to women until the 1920s, instead giving an indication of where they would have been placed if the did.)
from 1895 to 1907 becoming departmental head.
She became principal of RHC from 1907-1935, succeeding Dame Emily Penrose
. She was senator of London University from 1911 to 1935 and blocked a move to remove RHC from the university because of its 'remote location' though it is only 20 miles and 30 minutes by train from the centre of London. She had women admitted to the governing body and in 1920 the principal became a governor ex officio. In 1908, RHC's Women's Suffrage
Society was founded. She was succeeded as principal by Miss Janet Ruth Bacon
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent.
Education
She was educated at the private Edinburgh Ladies' College and won an entrance scholarship to RHC in 1890, one of 32 students joining that year. She graduated with a London University degree with first class honours in English. She also was placed in the first classes of final honours in mathematics at the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. (RHC entered students in examinations at one or both universities at the time, but Oxford did not award degrees to women until the 1920s, instead giving an indication of where they would have been placed if the did.)
Career
After her student days at RHC she taught maths at Cheltenham Ladies' CollegeCheltenham Ladies' College
The Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.-History:The school was founded in 1853...
from 1895 to 1907 becoming departmental head.
She became principal of RHC from 1907-1935, succeeding Dame Emily Penrose
Emily Penrose
Dame Emily Penrose, DBE was Principal of Somerville College, Oxford University from 1907 until 1926. She was the second of five children and eldest of the four daughters of Francis Cranmer Penrose, architect and archaeologist.-Career:Penrose, who never married, was emblematic of the history of...
. She was senator of London University from 1911 to 1935 and blocked a move to remove RHC from the university because of its 'remote location' though it is only 20 miles and 30 minutes by train from the centre of London. She had women admitted to the governing body and in 1920 the principal became a governor ex officio. In 1908, RHC's Women's Suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
Society was founded. She was succeeded as principal by Miss Janet Ruth Bacon
Janet Ruth Bacon
Janet Ruth Bacon was the daughter of a barrister and was Principal of Royal Holloway College, University of London from 1935-44. She was unmarried.-Education:...
.