Cover of book of Emily Davies' collected letters

This article is about the women's education advocate. For the pottery decorator, whose married name was Emily Grace Davies, see Grace Barnsley

Sarah Emily Davies (22 April 1830 – 13 July 1921) was an English feminist, suffragist and a pioneering campaigner for women's rights to university access. She was born in Southampton, England to an evangelical clergyman and a teacher in 1830, although she spent most of her youth in Gateshead. Image File history File links Emilydavies. ... Image File history File links Emilydavies. ... Emily Grace Barnsley (3 October 1896–6 March 1975), known as Grace Barnsley or by her married name, Grace Davies, was an English pottery decorator. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The English are an ethnic group or nation primarily associated with England and the English language. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... Suffragette with banner, Washington DC, 1918 The title of suffragette was given to members of the womens suffrage movement in the United Kingdom and United States, particularly in the years prior to World War I. The name was the Womens Social and Political Union (founded in 1903). ... The term women’s rights typically refers to freedoms inherently possessed by women and girls of all ages, which may be institutionalized or ignored and/or illegitimately suppressed by law or custom in a particular society. ... Representation of a university class, 1350s. ... Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to religious practices and traditions which are found in conservative, almost always Protestant, Christianity. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear in north-east England on the south side of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne which covers the North Bank. ...

In 1862, after the death of her father, Davies moved to London, where she edited a feminist publication, The Englishwoman's Journal, and became friends with women's rights advocates Barbara Bodichon, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and her younger sister Millicent Fawcett. Davies became a founder member of a women's discussion group, the Kensington Society. 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon (8 April 1827 - 11 June 1891) was an English educationalist, artist, and activist for womens rights. ... Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, MD (9 June 1836 – 17 December 1917) was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain. ... Millicent Fawcett Dame Millicent Fawcett DBE (June 11, 1847 – August 5, 1929) was a British suffragist (as opposed to a suffragette, who were usually militantly violent) and an early feminist. ...

Davies began campaigning for a woman's right to education. She was active on the London School Board and in the Schools Inquiry Commission and was instrumental in obtaining the admission of girls to official secondary school examinations. High school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

She then advocated for the admission of women to the Universities of London, Oxford and Cambridge. Like all universities at this time, these were exclusively male domains. The University of London is a university based primarily in London. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

She also became involved in the Suffrage movement, which centred on a woman's right to vote. She was involved in organizing for John Stuart Mill's 1866 petition to the British Parliament) for women's rights. That same year, she also wrote the book Higher Education for Women. John Stuart Mill (May 20, 1806 – May 8, 1873), an English philosopher and political economist, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ...

In 1869, Davies led the founding of Britain's first women's college, Girton College. In 1873, the institution moved to Cambridge. From 1873 to 1875, she Davies served as mistress of the college, where she then spent thirty more years as Secretary. The college did not become part of Cambridge University and begin granting full degrees until 1940 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Full name Girton College Motto - Better is wisdom than weapons of war (Alumni) Named after Girton Village Previous names The College for Women (1869), Girton College (1872) Established 1869 Sister College(s) Somerville College Mistress Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern Location Huntingdon Road Undergraduates 503 Postgraduates 201 Homepage Boatclub Girton College... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Davies also continued her suffrage work. In 1906, she headed a delegation to Parliament. She was known for opposing the militant and violent methods used by the Suffragette part of the women's suffrage movement, led by the Pankhursts. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Emmeline Pankhurst (July 14, 1857 - June 14, 1928) was one of the founders of the British suffragette movement. ...

In 1910, Davies published Thoughts on Some Questions Relating to Women. She died in 1921. 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

See also

History of feminism Suffrage parade in New York City on May 6, 1912 The history of feminism reaches far back before the 18th century, but the seeds of the feminist movement were planted during the latter portion of that century. ...

Further reading

• Daphne Bennett - Emily Davies and the Liberation of Women (André Deutsch, 1990) ISBN 0-233-98494-1
• Ann B. Murphy and Deirdre Raftery (eds) - Emily Davies: Collected Letters, 1861-1875 (University of Virginia Press, 2003) ISBN 0-8139-2232-1
• Barbara Nightingale Stephen - Emily Davies and Girton College (Hyperion, 1976) ISBN 0-88355-282-5