Ivy Williams (7 September 1877 – 18 February 1966) was the first woman to be called to the English bar, in May 1922. She never practised, but she was the first woman to teach law at a British university.

Education

Williams studied law at the Society of Oxford Home Students (later St Anne's College), the third woman to study law at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a 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 second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. By 1903, she had completed all her law examinations, but was prevented by the prevailing regulations concerning the qualification of women at Oxford from matriculating or receiving her BA, MA, and BCL until the regulations were reformed in 1920. She obtained

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 ...

(LLB) degree from 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 1901, and LLD from the same university in 1903. After the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 came into force in December 1919, which abolished the prohibition on women becoming barristers, she joined the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

as a student on 26 January 1920 after Theodora Llewelyn Davies. Olive Clapham was the first woman to pass bar finals examinations (in May 1921), but she would not be called to the bar until 1924. Williams became England's first female barrister when she was called to the bar on 10 May 1922, having received a certificate of honour (first class) in her final bar examination in Michaelmas 1921 which excused her from keeping two terms of dinners. Her call to the bar was described by the ''

Law Journal A law review or law journal is a scholarly journal or publication that focuses on legal issues. A law review is a type of legal periodical. Law reviews are a source of research, imbedded with analyzed and referenced legal topics; they also provi ...

'' as "one of the most memorable days in the long annals of the legal profession". She was soon followed by other women, including

Helena Normanton Helena Florence Normanton, Queen's Counsel, QC (14 December 1882 – 14 October 1957) was the first female barrister in the United Kingdom. In November 1922, she was the second woman to be call to the bar, called to the Bar of England and Wales, ...

and Jane Sissmore.

Career

Williams did not enter private practice, but taught law at the Society of Oxford Home Students from 1920 to 1945, making her the first woman to teach law at an English university. In 1923 she became the first woman to be awarded the degree of DCL (Doctor of Civil Law) in Oxford for her published work, ''The Sources of Law in the Swiss Civil Code''. In 1956, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford.

Personal and later life

She enjoyed tennis, travelling, gardening, and driving. She learned to read

Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

after she began to lose her sight in later life, and she wrote a Braille primer which was published by the National Institute for the Blind in 1948. She died in Oxford in 1966.Hazel Fox, 'Williams, Ivy (1877–1966)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 accessed 20 July 2012

Dedications

In 2020, barrister Karlia Lykourgou set up the first outfitter dedicated to offering courtwear for women. She named it Ivy & Normanton, in honour of Williams and

. A blue plaque to her memory was installed on her home at 12 King Edward Street, Oxford on 21 September 2020.Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
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Family

Williams was born in

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its population was 24,029 in 2011, and was estimated at 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in ...

in Devon and educated privately. Her parents were Emma and George St Swithin Williams. Her father was a solicitor. Her brother Winter Williams became a barrister, but died in an accident on 14 July 1903.

References

External links

City University, London website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ivy 1877 births 1921 in England 1966 deaths British barristers British legal scholars British women lawyers Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of the University of London Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Fellows of St Anne's College, Oxford Members of the Inner Temple People from Newton Abbot British women legal scholars