Ethel Hurlbatt (1 July 1866 – 22 March 1934) was an English educator and a promoter of women’s entrance into the professions. She is recognised for her work in women's education combined with loyalty to the institutions she worked for. She was Principal of Bedford College,

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 later Warden of

Royal Victoria College McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, the women's college of

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada, which had opened in 1899.

Early life

Hurlbatt was born in

Bickley Bickley is a district and a local government electoral ward in South East London, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located 10.4 miles (16.7 km) south east of Charing Cross, bordering Elmstead to the north, Chislehurst to the n ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England, on 1 July 1866. Her parents were Charles Hurlbatt, a mining engineer, and Sophia Margaret Hurlbatt (). She was one of seven children.Badham, Sophie. (23 September 2004) " Hurlbatt, Ethel (1866–1934)." ''

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

.'' Retrieved 28 December 2011.

Education

Hurlbatt was educated privately and then read

modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

, from 1888 to 1892 gaining

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

class. Her BA and MA were conferred by

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 ...

in 1905, as Oxford allowed women to sit the examinations but did not confer degrees on women at that time. She did however receive an honorary MA from the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in 1925.

Career

After a year living in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and researching in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

, in 1892 Hurlbatt became the founding principal of

Aberdare Hall Aberdare Hall () is a Grade II-listed Gothic revival hall of residence at Cardiff University in Wales. It was built at the end of the nineteenth century. History Aberdare Hall was established in 1883 by the University College of South Wales a ...

, the women’s residence of the

University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

in Cardiff and now part of Cardiff University. While living in Wales, Hurtlbatt supported the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

movement and joined the Cardiff and District National Suffrage Society (CDWSS). She was also honorary secretary for the Association for Promoting the Education of Women, was a member of the Cardiff Charity Organisation Society and her name her name features in documents of the Welsh Union of the Women’s Liberal Association (WUWLA). Hurlbatt's sister succeeded her as warden in Cardiff. In 1898, Hurlbatt became principal of the London women's college, Bedford College, but resigned in 1906 due to ill health. From 1907 until her retirement in 1929, Hurlbatt was Warden of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada, where she was also "resident tutor" of history. Her service to the college was recognized in 1930 when she received an honorary LLD from McGill. In Montreal, Hurlbatt was involved with many clubs and philanthropic ventures, including the women’s commission of the Comité France-Amérique de Montréal fr">:fr:France-Amériques">fr the local branch the

Alliance Française (; "French Alliance", stylised as ''af'') is an international organization that aims to promote the French language and francophone culture around the world. Created in Paris on 21 July 1883 under the name ''Alliance française pour la propa ...

, the Montreal Women’s Canadian Club and the

Art Association of Montreal The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

. She was awarded the Officier de l’Instruction Publique in 1918. Hurlbatt maintained her membership in the University Women’s Club of London during her time living in Canada. She also linked Canadian college women to British women's movements. 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 ...

, Hurlbatt served as chairwoman of the Women’s War Registry Committee in Montreal.

Later life and death

During her retirement Hurlbatt travelled widely pursuing her interest in sketching. In the year before she died she had several

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

s, complicated by

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

. Hurlbatt died on 22 March 1934 in

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

References

Publications

* ''Women and McGill'' (1920)

External links

Profile
McGill.ca; accessed 25 April 2016. 1866 births 1934 deaths People from Bickley Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford People associated with Bedford College, London {{Authority control Academic staff of McGill University English suffragists British women in World War I Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques