Myvanwy Rhys (1 August 1874 – 28 November 1945), also spelled Myfanwy Rhŷs, was a Welsh

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

and historian. She was elected to the

Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (), often called simply the Cymmrodorion, is a London-based Wales, Welsh learned society, with membership open to all. It was first established in 1751 as a Social club, social, cultural, literary society, l ...

, a Welsh

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

, later becoming a vice-president of the society.

Education

Rhys' parents played a role in her early education – an 1881 article in the '' Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald'' discussed the reading lessons Rhys and her sister Olwen were given by their parents while living in

Llanberis Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...

, North Wales. Her mother, Elspeth Hughes-Davies, educated the children at home during their early years, particularly in languages. After her family moved to Oxford, Rhys attended the Oxford High School for Girls between 1884 and 1890. She won the Ada Max Müller German Scholarship there when she was 15 years old, according to an article in ''The Monthly Tidings'' (a Welsh monthly publication for

Calvinistic Methodists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

) in March 1891. Rhys reportedly won the scholarship two years in a row. The scholarship was named after Ada Max Müller, daughter of Georgiana Adelaide Müller (who would later chair the Oxford Anti-Suffrage Society) and

Max Müller Friedrich Max Müller (; 6 December 1823 – 28 October 1900) was a German-born British comparative philologist and oriental studies, Orientalist. He was one of the founders of the Western academic disciplines of Indology and religious s ...

(a German-born British philologist), who predeceased her parents in 1876 at 15 years old. Rhys later won the Gold Medal from The Society for French Teachers in England for her performance in an examination on French language and literature. The medal was presented in a ceremony at the

Guildhall A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...

in London by the Lady Mayoress of London in the presence of the

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

and French ambassador. This was published in an article in the Welsh-language political newspaper, '' Cymru fydd'' (English: The Wales to Come), which reported that Myvanwy was 'head of the school' in her academic performance by 1890, with a 200-point lead. The article praised her, saying that "Wales would be blessed with many girls like Myfanwy Rhŷs". She went on to study

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

at the

University College of North Wales Bangor University () is a public research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 became one of the founding institutions of the federal ...

(now known as Bangor University) in 1891, living at the women's hall there. The university's magazine states that she was elected as a member of the magazine committee and the women-student's common room, as it was then known, in 1892. An article in '' The North Wales Express'' from 8 July 1892 reported that she passed her Latin and Greek exams that year. However, the scandal that surrounded the " Bangor dispute" led to her being removed from the course by her family before she had completed it. The Bangor dispute arose from concerns surrounding the conduct of Violet Osborn, a friend of Myvanwy's and fellow student at the University who lived outside of the women's halls. Osborn's conduct and claims that a male professor had "treated her with familiarity" had raised concerns from the head of the halls,

Frances Hughes Frances Emily Hughes became Frances Emily Webb-Peploe (14 April 1855 – 12 February 1927) was the head of the Women's hall of residence for the University College of North Wales in Bangor. She resigned following a dispute that caused a nati ...

, over Osborn's intent. Hughes confided in Rhys' mother,

Elspeth Elspeth or Elspet is a feminine given name, which is the Scottish form of Elizabeth. It means "chosen by God" or "consecrated by God". The name may refer to: People * Elspeth Attwooll (born 1943), English politician * Elspeth Ballantyne (born ...

. The dispute was widely publicised, including in ''The Times.'' The university senate deemed that Osborn's conduct had been "refined and honourable" and, as a consequence, Hughes was asked either to resign or face dismissal from the committee managing the halls. The committee's refusal to do so led to the withdrawal of recognition from the women's hall. Rhys was admitted to

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

, to read for the classical

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 ...

. In 1895, she won a scholarship. She attained first-class honours in her exams but the University of Cambridge did not grant degrees to women at this time, preventing her from receiving the degree she had earned. As a result, she travelled to

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 to receive her classics degree '' ad eundem'' as 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 ...

. In 1900, Rhys won the Gibson Greek Testament prize at Newnham College, Cambridge, for an essay she wrote about "the New Testament conception of the Logos, its sources and contents". By February 1900, she was studying in Paris, according to an article in ''The Aberystwyth Observer''.

Suffragist

Rhys was the first honorary secretary of the Oxford Women’s Suffrage Society (OWSS), founded in 1904. She frequently attended its committee meetings, held every fortnight, and was on the society's committee until November 1912 when her sister, Olwen, replaced her. As part of a

National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies The National Union of Women Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), also known as the ''suffragists'' (not to be confused with the suffragettes) was an organisation founded in 1897 of women's suffrage societies around the United Kingdom. In March 1919 it w ...

demonstration, she was one of the delegation who carried the OWSS banner from the Embankment to the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

in 1908. The demonstration aimed to raise awareness of the suffrage movement and to show the number of women who supported the cause at the time. After the delegation arrived at the Albert Hall, Rhys presented a bouquet of irises to

Millicent Fawcett Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett (; 11 June 1847 – 5 August 1929) was an English political activist and writer. She campaigned for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, women's suffrage by Law reform, legal change and in 1897–1919 led Brita ...

, a prominent campaigner for women's suffrage in England and leader of the

from 1897 until 1919.

Academic career

Rhys was also known for her research on Medieval history. Her research on folksong was published in ''The Nation'', a progressive weekly publication, in 1907. In the same year, she published a review of ''The Founders of the New Devotion'' by

Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis, CRV ( – 25 July 1471; ; ) was a German-Dutch Catholic canon regular of the Augustinians and the author of '' The Imitation of Christ'', one of the best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", ...

in ''

The Hibbert Journal ''The Hibbert Journal'' was a large, quarterly magazine in softback book format, issued since 1902 by the Hibbert Trust, best described by its subtitle: ''A Quarterly Review of Religion, Theology and Philosophy''. In the early years it was publis ...

''. By 1911, she was a researcher in history, living at the Principal's Lodgings at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, with her family, according to that year's census. In 1930, she was elected to the council of the

(a Welsh

) and became its vice-president several years later. Her research on ministers' accounts for West Wales (1277–1306) was published in 1936 for the Cymmrodorion Record Series in a volume of around 500 pages. By 1939, Rhys continued research into Medieval Calendars of

Inquisition Post Mortem An Inquisition post mortem (abbreviated to Inq.p.m. or i.p.m., and formerly known as an escheat) (Latin, meaning "(inquisition) after death") is an English medieval or early modern record of the death, estate and heir of one of the king's tenants-i ...

, but her diary discusses concerns over the likelihood that it would not reach publication. After her death in 1945, she had also left drafts of a manuscript for a biography of her father, Sir

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, as the product of research she had conducted into her father's life but it was never published.

Personal life

Myvanwy Rhys was born on 1 August 1874 in

Rhyl Rhyl (; , ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire in Wales. The town lies on the coast of North Wales, at the mouth of the River Clwyd. To the west is Kinmel Bay and Towyn, to the east Prestatyn, and to the south-east Rhuddlan ...

, North Wales, to

John Rhŷs Sir John Rhŷs (; 21 June 1840 – 17 December 1915) was a Welsh scholar, fellow of the British Academy, Celticist and the first professor of Celtic at Oxford University. Early years and education He was born John Rees at Ponterwyd in Cere ...

(a Welsh scholar who would later become principal of

) and Elspeth Hughes-Davies (a Welsh teacher and suffragist). Her sister, Olwen, was born in 1876 and it is said that the sisters remained "remarkably close throughout their lives". A car knocked Rhys down in the summer of 1945 and she had to spend several weeks in hospital, as a result. She died on 28 November 1945. Her death was noted in the "Report of the Council" in the ''Transactions of the

'', with particular mention of her work on "Ministers Accounts for West Wales 1277-1306".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhys, Myvanwy 1874 births 1945 deaths Welsh women academics Welsh women's rights activists Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Alumni of Bangor University Steamboat ladies People educated at Oxford High School, England