Emily Penrose

Emily Penrose was the second of five siblings, and oldest daughter of Francis Cramer Penrose, and his wife Harriette Gibbes, the daughter of Francis Gibbes, a surgeon of Harewood. Her paternal grandmother was Mrs Markham.[1] Penrose studied in a private school in Wimbledon before studying languages in Versailles, Paris, Dresden and Berlin.[2]^:93 She also trained as an artist with her father;[3] a watercolour of the Parthenon attributed to her is in the collection of the British Museum.[4] She lived with her family in Athens during 1886–87 while her father was director of the British School at Athens, during which time she kept a diary detailing her life in Athens and travels around Greece,[1][2]^:93[3][5][6] and learned modern Greek.[1] Her diary records her participation in the academic and social life of Athens, especially that of the foreign archaeological schools (which included the British School, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the German Archaeological Institute at Athens, and the French School at Athens).[5][6] The British School also has at least one watercolour painting probably by her.[3] Penrose was educated at Somerville College at the University of Oxford, where she started as a scholar of Greats (Classics) in 1889; this involved her learning both Latin and ancient Greek from scratch.[1] At the time, Honour Moderations for Classics were not open to women, so she moved straight to Finals without taking any other examinations during her course of study.[7]^:85 She chose to specialise in archaeology after her experiences in Athens, and in 1892 became the first woman to achieve First Class honours in Greats (Classics).[1][2]^:93 As women were not able to gain a degree from the University of Oxford at that time, she presented herself for an ad eundem University of Dublin MA in 1904.[1]

Penrose was offered a post by Agnes Maitland, designed to keep her at Somerville, as a combined tutor, librarian and secretary but instead moved to London.[8]^:77–78 She taught for a short time as an extension lecturer in Oxford and London before being appointed as Professor in Ancient History and Principal of Bedford College from 1893–1898.[1] Penrose was the first principal at Bedford, combining the former roles of Lady Resident, responsible for resident students, and Lady Superintendent, responsible for day students.[9] She was subsequently the second Principal of Royal Holloway College (RHC) from 1898–1907 where she succeeded Matilda Ellen Bishop. Bishop's resignation followed disagreement about Sunday Services with the governors.[2]^:85

During Penrose's time as the Principal at the college, the social life developed as the numbers of students increased,[2]^:101 even though Penrose had an unexpected weakness of shyness.[2]^:93 However, in her history of the college Caroline Bingham argued that "Penrose, in a formative decade, set the college on the path which it would follow successfully".[2]^:115 She was instrumental in gaining the college admission to the newly formed University of London in 1900.[2]^:96 This change led to increasing numbers of students studying for and being awarded London degrees, and a movement away from studying Oxford courses (where the female students at Royal Holloway were not allowed to receive degrees, but instead received only a notification that they had completed the class).[2]^:82,97 In her final year as Principal at Royal Holloway, eight of the students were awarded first class University of London degrees[2]^:100 Penrose was also the Chairman of the University of London Classical board and a member of the senate council.[1] Penrose was followed at Royal Holloway by Ellen Charlotte Higgins.[2]^:9

On the death of the previous Principal, Agnes Catherine Maitland, Somerville college council invited Penrose to take the post as Principal of Somerville College, Oxford (1907–1926).[1] Given her own academic qualifications, Penrose was seen by Vera Brittain as "the first genuine scholar among women [college] principals", and part of the significant transition towards colleges headed by figures with academic careers in their own right.[7]^:120 In the beginning of her time at the college Penrose also served as the tutor for Greats in Classics, but eventually was forced by her administrative load to stop tutoring and focus on her work as college principal.[7]^:120 Penrose was closely involved in the establishment of a university delegacy for women students in 1910, on which she served as an elected member, which led ten years later to the admission of women to full membership of the university. By 1914, under her influence, Somerville had stopped admitting students to the college who would not take the degree course, in order to build up a cohort of women students who were clearly qualified to receive degrees.[7]^:121 Penrose had also introduced an entrance examination for students seeking to join Somerville in 1908, making it the first women's college to do so.[8]^:130 She was responsible for adding additional tutors, including Helen Darbishire and Margaret Hayes Robinson to the Somerville staff, and enabled tutors to become part of Somerville's council for the first time in 1921.[8]^:131

Penrose's work for women's education had her involved in multipal national committees on education: she became a member of the Advisory Committee on University Grants in 1911, the Royal Commission on University Education in Wales in 1916, and the Royal Commission on the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in 1919, at which point she was the only female member of the commission.[7]^:140 Penrose also became the statutory commissioner for the University of Oxford in 1923.[1] Penrose was a leader at the time that women secured admission first to Oxford university lectures, then to examinations, and finally, in 1920, to university membership.[10] During her time as Principal of Somerville, Penrose also presided over many changes, including plans for new buildings, major constitutional changes and temporary accommodation of the college in Oriel College during World War I.[1] She also had responsibility for a range of war-time roles, including organization of the National Registration in Oxford, and management of the Belgian Visitors' Committee.[7]^:140 On her retirement in 1926, she was given a large sum as a farewell present, which she returned to the College to establish a student loan fund.[1] She moved to London after her retirement, later moving to Bournemouth on the outbreak of World War II, where she died on 26 January 1942.[1][11]

The success of the 1920 campaign to admit women as full members of the University of Oxford owed much to the diplomatic skills and academic reputation of Penrose.[1] On her retirement in 1926, Penrose was awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) by Oxford, the second woman given this title after Queen Mary;[1] Sheffield University also awarded her an honorary LLD.[1] In 1927 she was awarded a DBE for her work for education and made the first Honorary Fellow of Somerville College.[1][12] The award of this DBE made her Oxford's first Dame.[7]^:175

A 1946 obituary of Penrose concluded on her qualities, "For all her masculine powers and feminine accomplishments, her great qualities were neither masculine nor feminine, but simply those that belong to great persons."[7]^:121

Penrose was the subject of numerous photographs[13] and portraits, including by Francis William Helps,[14] Philip Alexius de Laszlo,[15] and the Rhomaides Brothers.[3][16]

"Charles Vinicombe Penrose", Journal of the British Archaeological Association 36:2 (1931), 239-42 (DOI)