Elizabeth Jesser Reid (; Sturch; 25 December 1789 – 1 April 1866), forename sometimes spelled Elisabeth, was an English

social reformer Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...

anti-slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

activist and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. She is best remembered as the founder of Bedford College.

Biography

Early life

Elisabeth Jesser Sturch was born in 1789 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Her father, William Sturch, was a wealthy Unitarian ironmonger. National Archives website, ''Papers of Elizabeth Jesser Reid (1789-1866)''
/ref> In 1821, she married Dr John Reid.Royal Holloway website, ''Elizabeth Jesser Reid'’''
/ref> Dr Reid had inherited land in Northumbria and on the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

that had become valuable as the port grew in size. His death in July 1822 gave her an independent income, which she used to help various philanthropic causes.

Activism

Active in liberal Unitarian circles, Reid was an anti-slavery activist, attending the

World Anti-Slavery Convention The World Anti-Slavery Convention met for the first time at Exeter Hall in London, on 12–23 June 1840. It was organised by the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, largely on the initiative of the English Quaker Joseph Sturge. The excl ...

in London in 1840. She met

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (née Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quakers, Quaker, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position ...

and the other American female delegates who had been denied the right to speak at the convention. and taking a close interest in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. She was also in contact with leading figures in the revolutions in France and Germany in 1848, and the struggles for Italian independence.

Women's higher education

In 1849, Reid founded Bedford College at 47

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many disti ...

in the

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

area of London. The college was a women-only

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

institution that aimed to provide a liberal and non-sectarian education for female students – something no other institution in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

offered at the time. Bedford College played a leading role in the advancement of women in higher education, and in public life in general. The National Archives U.K. holds a number of letters written to Reid that reference noted Victorian advocates of female education, including

Harriet Martineau Harriet Martineau (12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist.Hill, Michael R. (2002''Harriet Martineau: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives'' Routledge. She wrote from a sociological, holism, holistic, religious and ...

and

Frances Lupton Frances Elizabeth Lupton (née Greenhow; 20 July 1821 – 9 March 1892) was an Englishwoman of the Victorian era who worked to open up educational opportunities for women. She married into the politically active Lupton family of Leeds, where s ...

. Reid also founded the Reid Trust, which continues to support women's education with small grants to this day. Reid died in 1866, leaving her remaining wealth in a trust fund for the college. Reid had insisted on women being involved with the governance of the college and there were three women trustees including her friend Elizabeth Anne Bostock, educationalist Eleanor Smith and Jane Martineau.

Legacy

There is a

green plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

on Reid's house in Bedford Square. Historical Markers Database website, ''Bedford College for Women''
/ref> Bedford College became a college of 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 ...

in 1900, and merged with

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a member institution of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departmen ...

in 1985 to become Royal Holloway and Bedford New College. One of the halls of residence on the current campus is named "Reid Hall" in memory of the Bedford College founder. Her letters are held at The Royal Holloway Archives.

References

External links

History of Royal Holloway and Bedford New CollegeGenesis website page on Reid's archived papers

Genesis website page on Bedford College's archived papers

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Elizabeth Jesser People associated with Bedford College, London Philanthropists from London English abolitionists 1789 births 1866 deaths British social reformers English reformers 19th-century British philanthropists 19th-century British women philanthropists