Girton Celebrates the Office of the Vice-Mistress

As Girton prepares to thank outgoing Vice-Mistress, Karen Lee, for seven years of sterling service, and to welcome her successor, Dr Hilary Marlow, Archivist Hannah Westall has prepared an online exhibition in celebration of the life and work of the Vice-Mistresses of the College.

Girton College’s Vice-Mistresses

The office of Vice-Mistress was established in 1881. The first Vice-Mistress was Elizabeth Welsh (1843–1921, Girton 1871), who held the post for five years before becoming Mistress. The Vice-Mistress-ship was first introduced to supervise the ‘Long Vacation Term’ but over time the post acquired more wide-ranging duties, which included taking on an important ambassadorial role for the College. 

^{Caption: Extract from the Executive Council minutes where it was agreed to appoint the first Vice-Mistress, 4 February 1881 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/6 pt).}

The Long Vacation and the establishment of the Vice-Mistress-ship

In February 1881, the Executive Committee approved the proposal made by Emily Davies (1830–1921, one of the College’s key founders) that students ‘who wished to study in Cambridge’ should be allowed to reside in College during the Long Vacation. In this period, it was possible for male undergraduates at Cambridge to stay in residence in their colleges for part of the Long Vacation in order to study for their courses and receive teaching. This was known as the ‘Long Vac Term’. This proposal was to introduce the same option for Girton students. The Executive Committee minutes go on to state that a ‘Vice Mistress be appointed whose duty it shall be to reside at the College during the months of July and August, and to give such assistance to the Mistress as may be required’.

This idea of students remaining during the Long Vacation was a new venture for the College and the Vice-Mistress-ship was a new office created specifically to oversee these Vacation residents. As the discussion developed, it was decided that the Mistress and Vice-Mistress would arrange for the students’ instruction. The fee for the full eight weeks was set at £25 and residence elsewhere in Cambridge was not to be permitted. It was further decided that students who stayed for half the amount of time (or less) would pay half the fee, and students who stayed between half and three-quarters of the time would pay three quarters of the fee.

The minutes of 22 July 1881 include Elizabeth Welsh’s report on the first Long Vacation Term, dated 18 July 1881. She records that there were 22 students in residence and goes on to list the lectures that were given in College. In a supplementary report, she notes that since 1 August six students completed their six weeks residence, and 13 students completed their eight weeks residence.

At no point does there appear to be a recorded discussion about the success of the first Long Vacation Term. The Annual Report 1881 simply reports that ‘During the past year the experiment was made of offering to students who desired to continue their studies at Cambridge during Long Vacation, the advantage of residence at the College for the months of July and August. Twenty-three students availed themselves of the opportunity afforded them.’ However, the success of the Long Vacation Term may be surmised by the note in the Executive Council minutes in May 1882, ‘Resolved that students be permitted to reside in the College during eight weeks of long vacation under the same regulations as last year.’ From this point onwards, the option of staying in College for part of the Long Vac, and the office of the Vice-Mistress, became long-lasting features of the College.

^{Caption: Part of Elizabeth Welsh’s first report on the Long Vacation, from the Executive Council minutes, 18 July 1881 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/7 pt).}

^{Caption: Elizabeth Welsh’s supplementary report on the Long Vacation, from the Executive Council minutes, 7 October 1881 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/7 pt).}

Elizabeth Welsh

Elizabeth Welsh was born on 31 March 1843 in County Down and joined the College at Hitchin in 1871, when she was aged 28. She took the Classical Tripos in early 1875. She spent one year as a schoolmistress at Manchester High School before Marianne Bernard (1839–1926, Mistress 1875) suggested she be appointed Girton’s Resident Assistant Lecturer in Classics in 1876. After a successful start as Vice-Mistress she was re-elected in 1883 and 1884, though during her tenure the workload of the office increased as the student body grew. This was noted by the Executive Committee when they expressed their gratitude to the Mistress and Vice-Mistress for the work involved with the growing student community. While holding the Vice-Mistress-ship, Elizabeth Welsh became Garden Steward in 1883, and in 1885 she was the first Girtonian to be appointed as Mistress. In all, she spent 31 years at the College – 4 as a student, 9 as Resident Lecturer in Classics, 18 as Mistress.

For more information about Elizabeth Welsh see: https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/events/elizabeth-welsh-1843-1921

^{Caption: Elizabeth Welsh taken by Henry Van der Weyde of Regent Street, London, 1885 (archive reference GCPH 5/6/3).}

The office of Vice-Mistress in abeyance

In 1884, Marianne Bernard resigned her post of Mistress in order to marry Dr Latham. Miss Welsh was asked by the Executive Committee to step in as Mistress whilst the post was advertised. In recognition of the extra work this entailed, in October Miss Florence Ward (1852–1938, Girton 1879) was appointed as ‘Secretary to Miss Welsh’ and Miss Carlisle took over the new Mistress’s duties as the Resident Lecturer in Classics. This was probably Helen Carlisle (d.1935) who had been a classics student at the College, 1880–1883.

There then ensued a battle behind the scenes over who should be the next Mistress. Emily Davies was adamant that Miss Welsh should be appointed but other members of the Executive Committee preferred Louisa Lumsden (1840–1935, Girton 1869), who was Tutor in Classics 1873–1875. As a result, Miss Welsh was asked to continue to act as Mistress for the Lent term and Miss Ward to continue as her Secretary. Eventually the matter was settled in March 1885, when there was a close-run vote in the Executive Committee; Emily Davies prevailed and Miss Welsh was appointed Mistress from 25 March 1885.

With Elizabeth Welsh’s acceptance of the post of Mistress, the decision was made that the office of Vice-Mistress ‘be for the present in abeyance’, whilst Miss Ward was appointed as Secretary to the Mistress for the Easter Term. A month later the post of ‘Secretary to the Mistress’ was formally constituted and Miss Ward was appointed permanently to the post. 

Elizabeth Welsh suggested to the Executive Committee that she and her Secretary should share the responsibility of overseeing the Long Vacation between them – she would reside in the early part of the vacation whilst Miss Ward would reside in the later part. 

^{Caption: The duties of the Secretary to the Mistress, from the Executive Committee minutes, 15 May 1885 (archive reference: GCGB 2/9 pt).}

The reconstitution of the office of Vice-Mistress

However, just over a year later in May 1886, the Executive Committee resolved to reconstitute the office of Vice-Mistress, whilst abolishing the office of Secretary to the Mistress. The minutes are not explicit about the reasons behind this decision. Unsurprisingly, though, the duties of the Vice-Mistress were similar to those that had belonged to the office of Secretary. The Vice-Mistress was to: keep the household accounts; undertake official correspondence as the Mistress assigned to her;  arrange for the transport of the students into Cambridge;  undertake three hours of chaperone duties at Lectures;  reside during term time and for up to eight weeks during the Long Vacation; and  act as the Mistress’s Deputy when required. The post was to be appointed from 15 June with the salary of £90 for the year, ‘with rooms and commons, and leave to receive a guest without payment during Long Vacation’. Florence Ward was appointed Vice-Mistress for the coming academic year on Miss Welsh’s recommendation. She would remain Vice-Mistress until 1895.

^{Caption: The duties and salary of the Vice-Mistress, from the Executive Committee minutes, 21 May 1886 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/10 pt).}

Florence Ward 

Florence Fyfe Brereton Ward was born in 1852, daughter of Richard James Ward, an army officer. She was a student at College 1879–1882 and, sadly, because she was such an early student, we have very little information about her. However, she was the College Librarian 1884–1888, Junior Bursar 1889–1891 and Vice-Mistress 1885–1895. She appears to have suffered bouts of ill health, which we may assume led to her resignation in 1895. On leaving Girton, Florence Ward converted to Judaism and married Claude Joseph Goldsmid Montefiore (1858–1938), scholar and one of the founders of Liberal Judaism in Britain. He was the widower of former Girton student, Thérèse Montefiore (née Schorstein, 1864–1889, Girton 1882) and a benefactor to the College. Florence died in 1938.

^{Caption: Staff group (taken before the term Fellow was in use) circa 1888–1890 (archive reference: GCPH 6/1/1). Florence Ward is pictured in the front row, first on the left. Elizabeth Welsh is pictured in the middle of the front row, whilst Katherine Jex-Blake, both a future Vice-Mistress and Mistress, is pictured in the back row, second from the left.} 

The offices of Junior Bursar and Vice-Mistress

In May 1889, the post of Junior Bursar was created and Miss Ward was appointed. This meant she held the three posts of Librarian, Vice-Mistress and Junior Bursar. However, by March 1891 it was recognised that the growing numbers of students were putting increasing pressure on the resident staff, so it was agreed that the posts of Vice-Mistress and Junior Bursar should no longer be held by one person. In addition, the office of Junior Bursar should carry the additional responsibilities for the College’s domestic administration, which had previously belonged to the Mistress, together with the daily oversight of the buildings and land, which had previously been part of the duties of the Secretary. Miss Ward offered to resign as Junior Bursar, whilst continuing to be Vice-Mistress, and Gertrude Jackson (1858–1920, Girton 1876) was appointed as Junior Bursar. 

^{Caption: The creation of the office of Junior Bursar, from the Executive Committee minutes, 24 May 1889 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/11 pt).}

The dispute over prayer 

Miss Ward resigned the post of Vice-Mistress in December 1894, offering to remain in post until the end of March 1895. The Mistress nominated Ellen McArthur (1852–1927, Girton 1882) to take over. Miss McArthur had already undertaken some of the duties of Vice-Mistress the previous year, when Florence Ward had taken a 6 month leave of absence to recover her health. The Executive Committee accepted Miss Ward’s resignation with ‘regret’, but instead of accepting the nomination of Miss McArthur, a sub-committee was appointed to consider and make recommendations as to ‘the conditions of tenure’ for the offices of Vice-Mistress and Librarian. 

The sub-committee reported back in January, detailing a revised list of duties of the office of Vice-Mistress. Included was the proposal that the Vice-Mistress would be eligible for employment as a Resident Lecturer at the College. Although a decision on the report was adjourned to a future meeting, it was agreed to appoint Miss McArthur to the office of Vice-Mistress for three months ending 30 June 1895.

However, Ellen McArthur rejected this offer. She had several concerns, including that as Vice-Mistress she could not undertake other work, and that part of her salary would include room and board, which she already received as Lecturer. But perhaps more importantly, she thought the ‘uninitiated’ might not realise the post was temporary and might perceive that at the end of her tenure she had been ‘deposed’ from the office. She proposed instead to undertake some of the duties of the Vice-Mistress but without the title. This was accepted and the office of Vice-Mistress was put into abeyance for three months. 

At a meeting on 21 March, the revised list of the Vice-Mistress’s duties was approved and it was now agreed that Miss McArthur should be appointed to the office for a year, ending 30 June 1896. The reason for this change is not explained in the minutes. 

With Ellen McArthur’s acceptance of the office, the plan to assign some of the Vice-Mistress’s duties on a temporary basis was rescinded. 

However, the story was not over. In June 1895, Miss McArthur felt obliged to resign as Vice-Mistress. She explained in her letter to the Executive Committee that she was aware that as Vice-Mistress she was obliged to take prayers in the Mistress’s absence, but she was not aware that she was expected to be present at prayers at other times. She was unwilling to commit to this, explaining that she saw the reading of prayers to be an ‘official duty but … attendance as a personal and voluntary act’. The Committee promptly resolved to ask Ellen to remain as Vice-Mistress for the year on the understanding that she did not have to read or attend prayers. Ellen replied agreeing to remain as Vice-Mistress but explained that she preferred to resign from the post at the end of that year, as opposed to it being perceived that she had not been re-nominated. It was agreed that she would resign from the post on 12 June 1896. 

^{Caption: Part of Miss McArthur’s letter of resignation, from the Executive Committee minutes, 3 June 1895 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/13 pt).}

Ellen McArthur

Ellen Annette McArthur was born 19 June I862, in Norfolk, the daughter of Rev. Charles Chapman McArthur. She was a student at Girton I882–1885, gaining the equivalent of a First in the Historical Tripos. She became a College Lecturer at Girton in 1886. She continued as a Member of Staff (forerunner of Fellows) at the College until 1907, holding various posts including Head Lecturer in History, Vice-Mistress and Deputy Librarian. 

Ellen McArthur was a distinguished scholar. In 1894, she was the first woman lecturer accredited by the Cambridge Local Lectures Syndicate, and the first woman examiner for Oxford and Cambridge School Examination Board. From 1896 until 1906 she ran a hostel, as a private venture, for ‘postgraduate’, or ‘advanced’, women students in Cambridge, and she was appointed a member of the Cambridge Training College for Teachers in 1896. In 1902, she was elected an honorary member of Newnham College. She was the first woman applicant for the Trinity College Dublin DLitt, which was awarded to her in 1905. The following year she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Whilst continuing to lecture in Cambridge, from 1907 until 1910 she undertook the supervision of the History Department at Westfield College. During the same period, she was also the Representative Member of Certificated Students of Girton on Girton’s Governing Body. Her activities and passions went beyond academic life – she was a member of the Committee of Cambridge Women’s Suffrage Society and marched in the 1908 Suffrage procession in London.

In 1912, Ellen became seriously ill. She never fully recovered and remained a partial invalid until her death in 1927. 

^{Caption: Ellen McArthur taken by R H Lord, circa 1880–1890 (archive reference: GCPH 6/2/3/3).}

The offices of Vice-Mistress and Registrar

The difficulties and debates surrounding the appointment of Ellen McArthur as Vice-Mistress seemed to have had an effect. In March 1896, a report was written on the internal administration in the College, which resulted in a general re-organisation of duties. The post of Registrar was introduced, which relieved the Vice-Mistress of some of her duties. The Executive Committee agreed that they would appoint the Vice-Mistress on the nomination of the Mistress from among the Resident Staff. The Vice-Mistress had to reside in the College during term time and act as the Mistress’s deputy in case of illness or absence. She was also expected to take part in receiving visitors to College, to make arrangements for the conduct of examinations in College, and to ‘assist the Mistress in maintaining order and discipline among the students in the College and in Cambridge’. She could on occasion delegate her duties to a deputy approved by the Mistress. The Vice-Mistress had to reside during the Long Vacation in the Mistress’s is absence, and in that period carry the duties of the Registrar as well as those of her own office. The salary for the post was set at £70 a year.

The new post of Registrar required term-time residence and carried responsibility for keeping the registers of students, taking charge of sending papers between the students and lecturers, arranging conveyance for the student to and from Cambridge for lectures and examinations, and acting as a chaperone in cases of emergency. The salary was £15 a term. Eleanor Allen (1867–1929, Girton 1889), was appointed as the first Registrar. Miss Allen would later also be appointed Vice-Mistress.

The Mistress’s recommendation that EE Constance Jones (1848–1922, Girton 1875), should take over from Ellen McArthur as Vice-Mistress was accepted by the Executive Committee. EE Constance Jones became Vice-Mistress in June 1896 – the fourth person to hold that office. Miss Jones was Vice-Mistress for six years, until her appointment as Mistress in 1902. 

^{Caption: The duties of the Vice-Mistress, from the Executive Committee minutes, 16 March 1896 (archive reference: GCGB 2/1/13 pt).}

The office of Vice-Mistress in the 20^th and early 21^st centuries 

From the appointment of Elizabeth Welsh to that of Karen Lee in 2014, the College has had 23 Vice-Mistresses in total. 

1. Elizabeth Welsh (1843–1921), Classicist, Vice-Mistress 1881–1885 
2. Florence Ward (1852–1938), Vice-Mistress 1886–1895 
3. Ellen McArthur (1862–1927), Historian, Vice-Mistress 1895–1896 
4. EE [Emily Elizabeth] Constance Jones, (1848-1922), Philosopher, Vice-Mistress 1896–1902 
5. Katharine Jex-Blake (1860–1951), Classicist, Vice-Mistress 1903–1916 
6. Eleanor M Allen (1867–1929), Vice-Mistress 1916–1923 
7. Hilda Murray (1875–1951), Philologist and Literary scholar, Vice-Mistress 1924–1936
8. KT [Kathleen Teresa] Butler (1883–1950), Italian scholar, Vice-Mistress 1936–1938 
9. MG [Mary Gwladys] Jones (1880–1955), Historian, Vice-Mistress 1938–1940 
10. Marjorie Hollond (1895–1977), Economist, Vice-Mistress 1940–1941 
11. Frances M Smith (1896–1985), Vice-Mistress 1942–1944 
12. Helen Cam (1885–1968), historian, Vice-Mistress 1944–1946 
13. Helen McMorran (1898–1985), Librarian, Vice-Mistress 1946–1962 
14. Muriel Bradbrook (1909–1993), Literary scholar, Vice-Mistress 1962–1966 
15. Bertha Jeffreys (1903–1999), Mathematician, Vice-Mistress 1966–1969
16. Janet Harker (1927–2016), Zoologist, Vice-Mistress 1969–1978 
17. Gillian Jondorf, Modern and Medieval Languages, Vice-Mistress 1978–1983 
18. Gillian Beer, Literature and History of Science, Vice-Mistress 1983–1987 
19. Christine McKie (1931–2017), Crystallographer, Vice-Mistress 1987–1996 
20. Gillian Jondorf, Modern and Medieval Languages, Vice-Mistress 1996–2002 
21. Trevor Rayment, Physicist, Vice-Mistress 2002–2005 
22. Julia Riley, Astrophysicist, Vice-Mistress 2005–2014 
23. Karen Lee, Lawyer, Vice-Mistress 2014–2021

Many of Girton’s Vice-Mistresses have been notable scholars, such as medieval historian Helen Cam and Muriel Bradbrook, the literary scholar and authority on Shakespeare. Only five Vice-Mistresses have been scientists, including the mathematician and physicist Bertha Jeffreys, physicist Trevor Rayment, who is the only male Vice-Mistress to date, and astrophysicist Julia Riley. 

Five Vice-Mistresses would go on to become Mistress: Elizabeth Welsh, who was Vice-Mistress 1881–1885; EE Constance Jones, who was Vice-Mistress 1896–1902; Katharine Jex-Blake, who was Vice-Mistress 1903–1916; KT Butler, who was Vice-Mistress 1936–1938; and Muriel Bradbrook, who was Vice-Mistress 1962–1966. One Vice-Mistress became the head of another Cambridge College — Gillian Beer, renowned scholar of English literature, was President of Clare Hall, 1994–2001.

Several Vice-Mistresses served the College by holding many other offices, often concurrently. Eleanor Allen, for example, over a period of 29 years would serve as Junior Bursar, Librarian, Registrar, Garden Steward, Bursar, as well as Vice-Mistress. She even served as Acting Vice-Mistress, 1909–1916, although this post appeared to be short lived and went into abeyance. 

During the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s, there were several Vice-Mistresses who only served for two years or fewer. Marjorie Hollond was perhaps the shortest serving, having been forced to resign from the post due to war work in London. Her successor, Frances Smith, handed in her notice after 2 years, citing the pressure of work. Only one Vice-Mistress served twice – Gillian Jondorf, who was Vice-Mistress for 11 years in total, albeit with a 13-year gap in between her two periods in office. The outgoing Vice-Mistress, Karen Lee, is the only Lawyer elected to the Office, and it is fitting that she was able to support the Visitor, then-President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, during the many College events put on to mark 100 years of Women in Law. 

From a post that was introduced to oversee students during the Long Vacation and to cover the Mistress’s absences, there is no doubt this important office has evolved very considerably over the decades since 1881. It now includes an important ambassadorial role and its successive incumbents have been immeasurably important in shaping the character and achievements of the College.

^{Caption: EE Constance Jones, the College’s fourth Vice-Mistress, taken by an unknown photographer, 1900 (archive reference GCPH 5/7/4).}

The facts in this exhibition are correct to our best current knowledge.