Lilian Knowles
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Lilian Charlotte Anne Knowles (née Tomn; 9 October 1870 – 25 April 1926) was a British historian and Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics (LSE). She was the first female Dean of the Economic History Faculty in the University of London.


Early life and education

Born in St Clement, Cornwall, Knowles attended
Truro High School Truro High School for Girls is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day and boarding school for girls in Truro, Cornwall. The school consists of a girls-only prep school, senior school and sixth form. It is a member of the Girls' Sc ...
. After a tour of the continent with her family she went to
Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the un ...
. At Girton she read history and law taking both a History
Tripos TRIPOS (''TRIvial Portable Operating System'') is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 a ...
and a Law Tripos (Part 1) in 1894. Both were judged to be "first class" and she was the first woman to obtain a first class in the law tripos. At the time she took her degree
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
did not allow women to receive their degrees. Knowles, as with many other such female students from both Cambridge and
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 ...
universities, was later, in 1907, to take the steamboat to Ireland to be conferred with an '' ad eundem''
University of Dublin The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...
degree at
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 ...
. Hers was a DLitt. Thus she became 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 ...
''.


Academic career

Between 1895 and 1899, Knowles was one of the London School of Economic's first research students and taught there as an occasional lecturer between 1897 and 1898. In 1904 she gained a teachership in modern economic history at LSE — thus, according to
Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...
, "becoming the first full-time teacher of the subject at any British university". In 1907 she was promoted to Reader in economic history. Knowles campaigned vigorously on behalf of pacifist students and colleagues during World War I. In 1921, Knowles was promoted to a professorship in Economic History becoming Britain's second professor in that subject (the first being George Unwin at the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
). From 1920 to 1924, Knowles served as 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 ...
's Dean of the Faculty of Economics. This made her the first woman to become a Dean of the University of London. Notable students included Alice Clark, Ivy Pinchbeck, and Vera Anstey. Outside academia, she was appointed by Bonar Law to a government inquiry into working class cost of living, and was the only female member of the Royal Commission on Income Tax, 1919–1920. She was especially concerned with the practice, extant at the time, of charging income tax on joint income of married couples. She was also a member of the Council of the
Royal Economic Society The Royal Economic Society (RES) is a professional association and learned society that promotes the study of economics. Originally established in 1890 as the British Economic Association, it was incorporated by royal charter on 2 December 1902. ...
and of the Council of the
Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...
.


Personal life

Knowles married one of her students in 1907 and they had a son. She was remembered for wearing brilliant colours and having a "fierce manner of expressing fierce opinions", including a belief in the "superiority of the British over all other races, of her beloved Cornwall over all other counties". She was diagnosed with cancer in 1924, and resigned to move to Cornwall and write. She died on 25 April 1926.


Legacy

Since 2006, the LSE has had a 360-bedroom development reserved for their postgraduate students. The building is based on a Victorian building and it is now called the "Lilian Knowles House".Lilian Knowles House
, GenerationEstates. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
There are also two student prizes named after her at LSE; one for the highest marks in the first year and one for the highest marks in the final year of the Economic History Undergraduate degree programme.


Selected publications

* Knowles, Lilian Charlotte Anne. (1921). ''The industrial and commercial revolutions in Great Britain during the nineteenth century''. London: Routledge. * Knowles, Lillian Charlotte Anne. (1924). ''The economic development of the British overseas empire'', London: Routledge.


References


External links

*
"Knowles; Lilian Charlotte Anne (1870–1926)"
at archives.lse.ac.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Lilian C. A. 1870 births 1926 deaths Academics of the London School of Economics Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge British historians British women historians People educated at Truro High School People from Truro Steamboat ladies