Mary Jane Bridges-Adams (''née'' Daltry; 19 October 1854 – 14 January 1939) was a British

educationalist Education sciences, also known as education studies or education theory, and traditionally called ''pedagogy'', seek to describe, understand, and prescribe education including education policy. Subfields include comparative education, educationa ...

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

, and activist. She campaigned for free, compulsory,

secular education Secular education is a system of public education in countries with a secular government or separation of church and state, separation between religion and Sovereign state, state. History Secular educational systems were a modern development inte ...

for all and for

free school meals A school meal (whether it is a breakfast, lunch, or evening meal) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. Countries around the world offer various kinds of schoo ...

Early life and education

She was born at

Maesycwmmer Maesycwmmer () is a village and community (Wales), community in the centre of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly County Borough in Wales, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshir ...

Bedwas Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly county borough, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshi ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

, south Wales, the daughter of a Welsh engine-fitter William Daltry and his wife Margaret Jones. The family later moved to

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

and after working at schools in Newcastle, Bridges-Adams studied at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and in 1882 was awarded a distinction at

Bedford College, London Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advancement of women in highe ...

, in Greek and Maths. She married Walter Bridges-Adams on 22 October 1887.

Career

Bridges-Adams's early career was as a teacher in schools in Birmingham and in London, and she was also the headmistress of a board school (a type of free

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

established by the

Elementary Education Act 1870 The Elementary Education Act 1870 ( 33 & 34 Vict. c. 75), commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between the ages of 5 and 12 in England and Wales. It established local education authorities wit ...

). In 1894 she stood for election to the

London School Board The School Board for London, commonly known as the London School Board (LSB), was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London. The Elementary Education Act 1870 ( 33 & 34 Vict. c. 75) was ...

, representing the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

division, supported by the

Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS) was a large consumer co-operative based in south east London, England. The co-operative took its name from the Royal Arsenal munitions works in Woolwich and its motto was: "Each for all and all for e ...

, trade unions (the Gas Workers' Union, the Amalgamated Society of Engineers) and the London Nonconformist Council. She failed to be elected, but was successful three years later, and was re-elected in 1900 as the sole

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

candidate, with an increased majority, remaining a member of the board until its abolition. The

school boards A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

were then one of the few elected bodies of the United Kingdom on which women could serve. In 1900, she was involved in the opening of a Fröbel-influenced free "

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

" in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, London; this was the first such educational establishment in England. With the closing of the school boards, she became secretary to

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick (''née'' Maynard; 10 December 1861 – 26 July 1938) was a British socialite and philanthropist. Although embedded in late-Victorian British high society, she was also a campaigning socialis ...

, and with her continued campaigning. In 1905, the two led a motor tour of the country to promote the concept of free school meals. Bridges-Adams founded the first 'Open Air School for Recovery' (which aimed to show the "therapeutic effects of open air and regular meals on debilitated children") in Bostall Woods, London in 1907 and another on

Shooter's Hill Shooter's Hill is a district of South East London, England, straddling the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point in the Borough of ...

, London, the following year. She supported adult education for workers through the Plebs League and the Central Labour College, and founded the Working Women's Movement. Outside of her education-related campaigning, Bridges-Adams was also involved in other causes. She fought for improved living conditions of working class women: as a member of her local

Women's Co-operative Guild The Co-operative Women's Guild, founded in 1883, was an auxiliary organisation of the co-operative movement in the United Kingdom that promoted women in co-operative structures and provided social and other services to its members. History The ...

, she campaigned for improved housing and sanitation, and for the building of cultural facilities such as a picture gallery and a free library. In 1917, alongside

Joseph King Joseph King may refer to: * Joseph King (politician) (1860–1943), British politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset 1910–1918 * J. C. King (Joseph Caldwell King, 1900–1977), CIA officer * Joseph E. King (born 1945), American politici ...

(a Member of Parliament) and Lord Edward Stanley (a peer and former member of the London School Board), she campaigned for the continuation of the

right of asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, such as a second country or another enti ...

for refugees from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Personal life

On 22 October 1887, Mary Daltry married Walter Bridges Adams, the son of

William Bridges Adams William Bridges Adams (1797 – 23 July 1872) was an English locomotive engineer, and writer. He is best known for his patented Adams axle – a successful radial axle design in use on railways in Britain until the end of steam traction in 1 ...

. Together they had one son, William Bridges-Adams (1889–1965). Her husband predeceased her, dying in 1902. Her husband's family paid for her son to attend

Bedales School Bedales School is a coeducational boarding and day public school, in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by Amy Garrett Badley and John Haden Badley in reaction to the li ...

, a progressive

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

. Though this may have conflicted with her own views about education, sending her son to a fee-paying

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

was likely the only way she could have continued her activism as a single-parent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges-Adams, Mary 1854 births 1939 deaths 19th-century British educators 19th-century British women educators British women activists British education activists British socialists Government-provided school meals in the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK) people Alumni of the University of London Alumni of Bedford College, London Co-operative Women's Guild