Edith Major
Edith Major | |
|---|---|
by James Sinton Sleator | |
| Born | 15 February 1867 |
| Died | 17 March 1951 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | |
| Awards |
|
Edith Helen Major, CBE (15 February 1867 – 17 March 1951)[1] was an Irish educationalist. She was Mistress of Girton College Cambridge from 1925 to 1931.[2]
Early life and education
Major was born in Lisburn.[3] Her uncle was Sir Robert McCall, a noted Irish barrister.[3] She was educated at Methodist College Belfast[4] and Girton College, Cambridge.[5] She was one of the "steamboat ladies" who received a degree from Trinity College Dublin, because Cambridge was not yet granting women degrees, at the time.[6][7]
Career
Major was a member of the faculty at Blackheath High School from 1888 to 1900, and assistant mistress serving under Florence Gadesden.[8] She was Headmistress of Putney High School from 1900 to 1910;[9][10] and Head Mistress of King Edward VI High School for Girls from 1910 until 1925. After World War I she worked with Belgian refugees.[3] Major succeeded Bertha Phillpotts as Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge, serving from 1925 until 1931.[11][12][13] She was succeeded at Girton by Helen M. Wodehouse.[14]
Major was president of the National Federation of University Women, and president of the National Council of Women of Great Britain.[3] She was president of the Association of Head Mistresses from 1919 to 1921.[10][15] She was an active supporter of the League of Nations.[16]
In 1931 Major became a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).[17] She received an honorary LL.D. degree from Queen's University Belfast in 1931.[18]
Death and legacy
Major died in 1951, at the age of 84, in Antrim. Another former Girton head, Katharine Jex-Blake, died in the same month, and they were honored with a joint memorial service. Girton College has a painting of her by James Sleator.[19]
References
- ^ 'Miss E. H. Major' The Times (London, England), March 19, 1951, Issue 51953, p.8
- ^ "Major, Edith Helen". Who's Who & Who Was Who. Vol. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 16 February 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c d "Girton Girl's Progress". Evening Herald. 6 January 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Intermediate Examinations". Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser. 14 September 1883. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Girton College Register, 1869–1946 (Cambridge University Press 1948).
- ^ Girton 150th Anniversary Festival Opening Ceremony (28 June 2019): 6-7.
- ^ Harford, Judith; Rush, Claire (2010). Have Women Made a Difference?: Women in Irish Universities, 1850-2010. Peter Lang. pp. 73, note 36. ISBN 978-3-0343-0116-9.
- ^ Sondheimer, Janet (23 September 2004). "Gadesden [Gadsden], Florence Marie Armroid (1853–1934), headmistress". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/48569. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Major, Edith Helen". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^ a b "Personal Paragraphs". Journal of Education and School World. 57: 470–472. July 1925.
- ^ "The colleges and halls: Girton". British History Online. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ Margaret Bryant, Major, Edith Helen (1867–1951), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
- ^ "The Office of Mistress 1869-1924". Girton College. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Provincial News". Irish Independent. 6 May 1931. p. 13. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Association of Head Mistresses -- Annual Conference". The Educational Times. 72: 330. July 1920.
- ^ "Women Support the League of Nations: Manifesto" League of Nations Journal 2 (February 1920): 171-172.
- ^ "The New Year Honours" The Times (1 January 1931): 6.
- ^ "Queen's University, Belfast". Irish Independent. 29 May 1931. p. 12. Retrieved 19 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Edith Major". Art UK. Retrieved 18 July 2023.