Ethel Gavin (2 April 1866 – 2 March 1918) 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 ...

educationist and headmistress. She led several schools including

Wimbledon High School Wimbledon High School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private girls' day school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, South West (London sub region), South West London. It is a Girls' Day School Trust school and is a member of the Girls' ...

and Notting Hill High School.

Life

Gavin was born in

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...

in central Scotland. She was the first born girl of Mary Isabella Macandrew and John Gavin. They had a house Wester Elchies near Elgin. Her father had spent nearly twenty years in

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in Ceylon where he was known as "Honest John". Her parents paid for her education in Switzerland but she turned when she was fourteen to attend the Maida Vale High School. She was then able to enrol at Girton College, Cambridge in 1885. After she graduated she returned to her school in Maida Vale to begin her teaching career. Shrewsbury High School had opened as a day school for girls in 1885. In 1893 Gavin took over as head at the age of 27. The school had outgrown its site and it moved to a new (its present) location on the banks of the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

in central Shrewsbury in 1895. Gavin moved on to another headship in 1897. In 1905 Gavin was able to obtain a master's degree from

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

by becoming one of the

Steamboat ladies "Steamboat ladies" was an informal nickname given to a number of female students (estimated at around 720 graduates) at the women's colleges of the Universities of both Oxford and Cambridge, who were awarded University of Dublin degrees at Trini ...

. Oxford and Cambridge allowed women to take degree courses but refused to confer degrees on women irrespective of their achievement. Trinity College had decided to confer degrees on any student who had passed courses at Cambridge or Oxford. They were not expecting 5,000 women to travel to Dublin and to pay the fees so that they could have a degree. The offer was only open for three years and Gavin was lucky enough to take advantage during this time. Harriet Morland Jones had been the founding head of Notting Hill School Jones retired in 1900 and controversially Gavin was appointed instead of an internal heir apparent, Mrs M. Withiel, and resignations followed. Mrs Withiel left to become a school inspector and later inspected her former school. Gavin was described as a "capable and experienced headmistress". Gavin became the head of

in 1908. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the school endured a difficult time; Gavin was in Germany at the time and was detained for some weeks. A fire broke out in 1917 and gutted the main building. Gavin organised the recovery but died at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

in early 1918 from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gavin, Ethel 1866 births 1918 deaths People from Elgin, Moray Heads of schools in England Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Steamboat ladies