Emily Anne Eliza Shirreff
Encyclopedia
Emily Anne Eliza Shirreff (3 November 1814 – 20 March 1897) was a pioneer in the movement for the higher education of women and the development of the Froebelian principles in England
.
, with whom she collaborated with on educational and writing projects.
called Adele Piqet, who had a limited education. In the 1820s the family lived in France
where the father was stationed. Emily was a bright scholar at an early age but after suffering from a severe illness at the age of seven she had to relearn the alphabet. Emily suffered from ill health for the rest of her life.
At the age of 14 she was sent to a boarding school
in Paris
but the rough conditions at the school affected Emily’s poor health and she was removed a year later. In 1829, her father took command of HMS Warspite
and moved his family to Avranche in Lower Normandy
. In 1831 her father was appointed to Gibraltar
and did not think it his daughters needed another governess, bringing their formal education to an end.
Maria and Emily continued to improve their education through ‘self-improvement’ by travelling extensively to France, Spain and Italy, reading in their father’s extensive library, and became acquainted with many intellectuals of the age through their father's contacts.
and continued to write papers on women’s education. She was also an early mistress of Girton College, Cambridge
, and remained connected to the College until her death. Emily was one of the founders of the Froebel Society and was its president from 1876 until her death. She also wrote many articles and booklets on kindergarten
education. Emily was also the vice-president of the Parents’ National Union.
In 1871, with her sister, Mary Gurney, Lady Henrietta Maria Stanley of Alderley, and the support of HRH Princess Louise
, Emily founded the National Union for the Improvement of the Education of Women of all Classes, (also known as the Women’s Education Union). Emily was heavily involved in the work of the union as its honorary secretary and co-editor of its journal, the Journal of the Women’s Education Union. The Union also found the Girls’ Public Day School Company in 1872, which opened secondary schools for girls which offered the same educational opportunities as boys’ schools, and still operates today as the Girls' Day School Trust
. She was very active on the Council of the Company and was made a vice-president in 1896. Emily was also involved in the Union’s foundation of an evening college for women and the teachers training and registration society.
, who had been a close friend, for a posthumous edition of his works in 1872.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Family
She was born on 3 November 1814, the second of four daughters and two sons born to Rear-Admiral William Henry Shirreff (1785–1847) and Elizabeth Anne Shirreff. She was very close to her sister Maria Shirreff (later Grey)Maria Georgina Grey
Maria Georgina Grey , was an educationist and writer in the United Kingdom who promoted women’s education and was one of the founders of the organisation that became Girls' Day School Trust. Grey was often referred to during her career as Mrs William Grey, using the name of her husband.-Family...
, with whom she collaborated with on educational and writing projects.
Education
Emily and her sisters were educated from an early age by a French governessGoverness
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
called Adele Piqet, who had a limited education. In the 1820s the family lived in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where the father was stationed. Emily was a bright scholar at an early age but after suffering from a severe illness at the age of seven she had to relearn the alphabet. Emily suffered from ill health for the rest of her life.
At the age of 14 she was sent to a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
but the rough conditions at the school affected Emily’s poor health and she was removed a year later. In 1829, her father took command of HMS Warspite
HMS Warspite (1807)
HMS Warspite was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched in 1807. She served in the Napoleonic Wars and was decommissioned in 1815. After conversion to a 76-gun ship in 1817 she circumnavigated the world, visiting Australia. She was cut down to a single decker 50-gun...
and moved his family to Avranche in Lower Normandy
Basse-Normandie
Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
. In 1831 her father was appointed to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and did not think it his daughters needed another governess, bringing their formal education to an end.
Maria and Emily continued to improve their education through ‘self-improvement’ by travelling extensively to France, Spain and Italy, reading in their father’s extensive library, and became acquainted with many intellectuals of the age through their father's contacts.
Early writings
Emily and Maria first began to write together when Mrs Shirreff brought her daughters back to England in 1834. Their first publication, Letters from Spain and Barbary, was published in 1835. Though Maria was married in 1841, the two sisters continued to write together and anonymously published a romantic novel, Passion and Principle. In 1850, they published Thoughts on Self-Culture Addressed to Women, in which they disapproved of traditional girls' education which only trained women to be dependent on men and not teach them to think for themselves. In 1858, Shirreff published her first major solo work Intellectual Education and its Influence on the Character and Happiness of Women, which further highlighted Emily's belief that women should not be educated as 'man's subordinate'.Educational work
In the 1870s, the sisters actively turned their attention to promoting education. Emily helped raise funds for the North London Collegiate SchoolNorth London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School is an independent day school for girls founded in 1850 in Camden Town, and now in the London Borough of Harrow.The Good Schools Guide called the school an "Academically stunning outer London school in a glorious setting which, in 2003, demonstrated its refusal to rest...
and continued to write papers on women’s education. She was also an early mistress of Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
, and remained connected to the College until her death. Emily was one of the founders of the Froebel Society and was its president from 1876 until her death. She also wrote many articles and booklets on kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
education. Emily was also the vice-president of the Parents’ National Union.
In 1871, with her sister, Mary Gurney, Lady Henrietta Maria Stanley of Alderley, and the support of HRH Princess Louise
Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
, Emily founded the National Union for the Improvement of the Education of Women of all Classes, (also known as the Women’s Education Union). Emily was heavily involved in the work of the union as its honorary secretary and co-editor of its journal, the Journal of the Women’s Education Union. The Union also found the Girls’ Public Day School Company in 1872, which opened secondary schools for girls which offered the same educational opportunities as boys’ schools, and still operates today as the Girls' Day School Trust
Girls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
. She was very active on the Council of the Company and was made a vice-president in 1896. Emily was also involved in the Union’s foundation of an evening college for women and the teachers training and registration society.
Other interests
Emily was also interested in other areas of research and supported women’s suffrage. Her opposition of the continuation of the use of slaves in southern USA was aired in her 1864 paper, The Chivalry of the South. In 1874 she joined the Women's Peace and Arbitration Auxiliary, (later the London Peace Society). She also wrote a biographical sketch of Henry Thomas BuckleHenry Thomas Buckle
Henry Thomas Buckle was an English historian, author of an unfinished History of Civilization.- Biography :...
, who had been a close friend, for a posthumous edition of his works in 1872.
Later life
Emily had suffered from ill health all her life and became less active towards the end of her life She died in London on 20 March 1897 and was buried in Brompton cemetery.Publications
- Shirreff, Maria Georgina; Shirreff, Emily (1841), Passion and Principal. Edited by Captain Schmier. London.
- Grey, Maria Georgina; Shirreff, Emily (1850), Thoughts on Self-Culture Addressed to Women. London New editions 1862 and 1863.
External links
- Biography at Notable Names Database
- Biography of Emily Shirreff from the Froebel web online resource
- Philippa Levine, ‘Shirreff, Emily Anne Eliza (1814–1897)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2005 Accessed 27 Nov 2007. index entry.
- Girton College past mistresses index