Mabel Rachel Trickett (20 December 1923 – 24 June 1999), known as Rachel Trickett, was an English novelist, non‑fiction writer, literary scholar, and a British academic; she was Principal of

St Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a ...

, for nearly twenty years, between 1973 and 1991.

Early life and education

Trickett's father was a postman. She studied at

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

. She became a lecturer in English at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

in 1946 and in 1954 she returned to

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 ...

as a fellow and tutor at St Hugh's College.

Principal of St. Hugh's College

As Principal of St. Hugh's College, Trickett often showed a side of gaiety: on her instruction, the chapel at the college was redecorated in 18th-century colours. Her friend

Laurence Whistler Sir Alan Charles Laurence Whistler (21 January 1912 – 19 December 2000) was a British glass engraver and poet. He was both the first President of the British Guild of Glass Engravers and the first recipient of the King's Gold Medal for Poe ...

designed the college's gilded wrought iron Swan gates, which are now by the Principal's house on Canterbury Road.

Other work

Trickett was the author of the novels ''The Return Home'' (London, Constable & Co., 1952) and ''The Course of Love'' (London, Constable & Co., 1954). Her ''The Honest Muse: A Study in Augustan Verse'' was published by

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, Oxford, in 1967. Michael Gearin-Tosh wrote in her obituary for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' that "she had a wicked eye for the conceit of academics, their insularity and devious manipulations", an attitude which made her a soul‑mate of

Erich Heller Erich Heller (27 March 1911 – 5 November 1990) was a British essayist, known particularly for his critical studies in German-language philosophy and literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Biography Heller was born at Chomuto ...

Legacy

The Rachel Trickett Building at St Hugh's College is named in her honour.

References

External links