Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

Beryl Paston Brown, (7 March 1909 – 25 July 1997) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

academic and educator. She was Principal of

Homerton College, Cambridge Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the col ...

, from 1961 to 1971.

Early life and education

Beryl Paston Brown was born in

Streatham, Surrey Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, the daughter of Paston Charles Brown and Florence May Brown. Her father was a bank clerk. She was educated at Streatham Hill High School and

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

, Cambridge. She completed a teacher training course in London, however the

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made it very difficult to secure a teaching post.

Career

Paston Brown was a lecturer at Portsmouth Training College from 1933 to 1937, and at

Goldsmiths' College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

from 1937 to 1951. She was a temporary lecturer at Newnham College from 1944 to 1946. She was principal of the City of Leicester Training College from 1952 to 1961. As Principal of

Homerton College Homerton College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of English Dissenters, Protestant dissente ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, from 1961 to 1971, Dame Beryl was credited with having developed a contemporary, relatively liberal social and academic life for students, as well as a teaching course degree which was validated by

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. "Dame Beryl combined high intelligence and great charm with a commitment to some very enlightened principles, and in many ways she set the tone for Homerton’s recognition by the University as a place of serious intellectual capability," recalled her colleague David Bridges. A proposal for the establishment of the B.Ed to the Council of the Senate of Cambridge University was first turned down in 1966, for fear of lowering standards, but was eventually approved in the 1970s with the assistance of Newnham College.Skinner, Joyce (5 August 1997)
Obituary for Dame Beryl Paston Brown
''The Independent''; accessed 6 January 2022. In 1971 she retired, and was succeeded by Alison Cheveley Shrubsole. Paston Brown was chair of the Association of Teachers in Colleges and Departments of Education from 1965 to 1966, and editor of the association's journal, ''Education for Teaching.'' She was a member of the Newsom Committee, and helped produce the report ''Half Our Future'' (1963). Beryl Paston Brown was named DBE in 1967. She retired to

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, where she became an Open University tutor and was awarded an

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

honorary degree.

Publications

* "Literature as Medium for the Synthesis of School and Society" (1946) * "‘Participation’‐‐and College Government" (1971) * ''Teacher Education for a Multi-Cultural Society'' (1978, report)

Death and legacy

Dame Beryl Paston Brown died in

in 1997, aged 88. Homerton College has a portrait of Paston Brown, painted by Richard P. Cook.

References

External links

A 1967 photograph of Beryl Paston Brown
by Walter Bird, at the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Homerton College archived records site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paston Brown, Beryl 1909 births 1997 deaths British women academics Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire People from Streatham Fellows of Homerton College, Cambridge Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Academics of Goldsmiths, University of London