Helen Louisa Kerr ( Howden; 9 March 1859 – 8 February 1940) was a Scottish social reformer.

Life

Helen Louisa Howden was born on 9 March 1859, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth Shaw Stewart and her husband, James Howden, a chartered accountant with Borthwick and Howden. The family lived at 90 Manor Place in Edinburgh's west end. In 1888, she married George Kerr in

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

She and her husband became involved in the Edinburgh Social Union (ESU), trying to provide affordable housing for students. They were closely linked to

Patrick Geddes Sir Patrick Geddes (2 October 1854 – 17 April 1932) was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, Comtean positivist, geographer, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban plannin ...

in these ventures. In 1896 they purchased 22 flats at Campbells Close in

Edinburgh's Old Town The Old Town () is the oldest part of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings. Together with the 18th/19th-century New Town, and West End, it forms part ...

. The town Council showed great confidence in the ESU handing over control of blocks at Tron Square, High School Yards, Potterrow and Portsburgh Square. By 1901 they controlled 24 blocks. In 1889 she took on the unusual role, for a woman at that time, as Superintendent of Housing. In 1902, she met with

Octavia Hill Octavia Hill (3December 183813August 1912) was an English Reform movement, social reformer and founder of the National Trust. Her main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteent ...

to discuss social housing in Edinburgh.Learning from the Lasses: Women of the Patrick Geddes Circle, by Walter Stephen. In 1907, she submitted a report to the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress, then in 1912, she was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Housing Conditions of the Industrial Population of Scotland Rural and Urban. and was the only woman member. The previous Housing Conditions Commission in 1885 had had no women members. The Women's Committee on House Planning in Scotland was chaired by Kerr in 1918. Its members included Mary Burns Laird and

Catherine Hogg Blair Catherine Hogg Blair (''née'' Shields; 8 January 1872 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish suffragette, magistrate, founder of the Scottish Women's Rural Institute (SWRI), and member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). Blair was ...

. The Committee had been established by the

Secretary for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...

, Robert Munro, with the purpose of inspecting houses and making recommendations from the housewife's point of view. In 1920, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

awarded her an honorary doctorate (LLD) for her contributions to social reform. From 1891, she lived at 6 St Colme Street, a large Georgian townhouse on the Moray Estate in western Edinburgh.Edinburgh Post Office Directory, 1910-11 By the 1920s, she worked closely with Elizabeth Haldane, sister of Sir William Haldane, and Mary Maclagan in the improvement of housing across the UK. In 1921, she helped to establish the Nursing Committee at

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) was established in 1729, and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest voluntary hospital in the United Kingdom, and later on, the Empire."In Comi ...

, and also helped to establish the Astley Ainslie Trust.

Death

She died in Edinburgh on 8 February 1940, aged 80. She is buried with her husband facing "Lords Row" on the western edge of

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

Publications

*''Social Conditions of Provincial Towns'' (1912) *''The Path of Social Progress'' (1912)

Family

Kerr's husband George was a doctor who trained at 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 ...

. The Kerr family were rich from

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

fishing companies. The couple initially lived at Gogar House in

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

, west of Edinburgh. Her sister-in-law, Mary Kerr, of 9 Great Stuart Street, was also involved in many of the ventures.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Helen Louisa 1859 births 1940 deaths British social reformers Burials at the Dean Cemetery People associated with Edinburgh Scottish justices of the peace