Eliza Orme (25 December 1848 – 22 June 1937) was the first woman to earn a law degree in England, from

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

in 1888.

Early life

Orme was born near

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

in London, into a well-connected middle-class family. She was the seventh of eight children of Charles Orme (c.1806–1893) and Eliza (née Andrews) (1816–1892), daughter of Reverend Edward Andrews. Charles Orme was a distiller and Eliza Orme hosted a salon that was frequented by members of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Orme was the niece of Emily Augusta Patmore (née Andrews) (1824–1862) who published under the name Mrs. Motherly and was the first wife and lifelong influence of poet and essayist

Coventry Patmore Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore (23 July 1823 – 26 November 1896) was an English poet and critic, literary critic. He is best known for his book of poetry ''The Angel in the House'', a narrative poem about the Victorian era, Victorian ideal of ...

. Orme's sister Emily Rosaline Orme would go on to become a noted campaigner for women's suffrage in Scotland. Her parents often hosted academics and artists such as

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

and

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...

, and were supportive of women's education. Orme attended the Bedford College for Women and, in 1869, was one of nine women to write the University of London’s first General Examination for Women. After

allowed both men and women to attend lectures, she became a student there in 1872. Her teachers included John Elliot Cairnes (1823–1875), W. Leonard Courtney (1850–1928), and W. A. Hunter (1844–1898). She earned awards and scholarships in Political Economy, Jurisprudence, and Roman Law. In 1874, she wrote two articles for '' The Examiner'' on the subject of degrees for women at the University of London, arguing in favour of women's education. Four years later, the university reversed its policy and permitted women to receive degrees and in 1878, she passed the first two exams for the

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

with honours. She received her LLB degree from the University of London in 1888.

Career

Although Orme did not receive her degree until 1888, she began working towards legal practice in 1872 with support from Helen Taylor, who paid her fee to become a pupil at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

where she was a pupil in the chambers of a barrister, John Savill Vaizey, in 1873. However, her aspiration to be recognised as a "

conveyancer In most Commonwealth countries, a conveyancer is a specialist lawyer who specialises in the legal aspects of buying and selling real property, or conveyancing. A conveyancer can also be (but need not be) a solicitor, licensed conveyancer, or ...

under the bar" was blocked. Until the passing of the

Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexual reproduction, sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an o ...

, women were not permitted to qualify as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

or a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

in England. Instead, she established an office on

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street that forms part of the City of London#Boundary, western boundary of the City of London. The east side of the street is entirely within the City,Reina Emily Lawrence, continuing to work on legal matters until about 1904. Their office prepared the paperwork for wills, mortgages and property conveyancing. Patent agency and probate settlements could be undertaken by non-solicitors as they were unregulated. In 1903 Orme was interviewed by the ''Law Journal'', and recounted ‘I “devilled” for about a dozen conveyancing counsel who kept me busily employed on drafts they wanted done in a hurry, and for twenty-five years I found it both an interesting and profitable employment’. In 1893, Orme was invited to send papers to the Congress on Jurisprudence and Law Reform as part of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, which was the first time women were invited to join a formal legal congress. Her paper, ''The Legal Status of Women in England'', was read on her behalf by Mary A. Ahrens.

Politics

Orme was influenced by J. S. Mill, W. A. Hunter, John Elliott Cairnes and Leonard Courtney, all supporters of ''laissez-faire'' and Benthamite reform. She too became active in

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politics and as a feminist. She was involved with the

National Society for Women's Suffrage The National Society for Women's Suffrage Manchester Branch The National Society for Women's Suffrage was the first national group in the United Kingdom to campaign for women's right to vote. Officially formed on 6 November 1867, by Lydia Becker ...

and the Society for the Promotion of the Employment of Women, and other feminist organizations. She was a founding member of the Women's Liberal Federation in 1887 and edited the ''Women's Gazette and Weekly News'' between 1889 and 1891. She left in 1892 when she was invited to serve as Senior Lady Assistant Commissioner on the Royal Commission on Labour. She wrote a biography of the WLF founder, ''Lady Fry of Darlington'' (1898). Orme was well-connected in the political sphere. She met the American suffragist Susan B. Anthony in 1883 and the late nineteenth century English novelist

George Gissing George Robert Gissing ( ; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. In the 1890s he was considered one of the three greatest novelists in England, and by the 1940s he had been ...

in November 1894, and American suffragist Susan B. Anthony in 1883. She was considered by Beatrice and

Sidney Webb Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, (13 July 1859 – 13 October 1947) was a British socialist, economist and reformer, who co-founded the London School of Economics. He was an early member of the Fabian Society in 1884, joining, like Geo ...

to be as politically important as Millicent Garrett Fawcett, and may have inspired the character of Vivie Warren in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's '' Mrs Warren's Profession''. In 1901, she wrote the entries for the

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

on W. A. Hunter,

Samuel Plimsoll Samuel Plimsoll (10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898) was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line (a line on a ship's hull indicating the maximum safe draught, and therefore the minimum ...

and Thomas Bayley Potter.

Personal life

She lived for most of her life with her parents in London until their deaths in the 1890s, and then with her sister Beatrice at Tulse Hill. She died in

Streatham 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 ...

from heart failure. Her colleague Reina Lawrence was the executor and residuary beneficiary of Orme's will when she died in 1937. They may have had an intimate relationship, referred to as a “

Boston marriage A "Boston marriage" was, historically, the cohabitation of two women who were independent of financial support from a man. The term is said to have been in use in New England in the late 19th–early 20th century. Some of these relationships were ...

”. Orme was known to correspond with other female lawyers in the United States, as part of the Equity Club.

References

External links