Rosalind Paget
Encyclopedia
Dame Mary Rosalind Paget, DBE
, ARRC
(4 January 1855 – 19 August 1948), was a noted British
nursing sister, midwife and reformer. She was the first Superintendent, later Inspector General, of the Queen's Jubilee Institute for District Nursing at the London Hospital,, which was re-named as the Queen's Institute of District Nursing in 1928 and as the Queen's Nursing Institute in 1973.
In the 1890s she played an active role in the campaign for midwife registration, giving evidence in 1892 to the select committee on midwifery, but it was not until 1902 that the Midwives Act
was passed. It made it an offence for anyone not properly certificated to describe herself, or practise, as a midwife, and established the Central Midwives' Board, of which Paget was a member until 1924. She was a supporter of women's suffrage
; in July 1908 she led 20 members in a suffrage procession under the banner of Florence Nightingale
.
in 1935.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, ARRC
Royal Red Cross
The Royal Red Cross is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing.The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Member...
(4 January 1855 – 19 August 1948), was a noted British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
nursing sister, midwife and reformer. She was the first Superintendent, later Inspector General, of the Queen's Jubilee Institute for District Nursing at the London Hospital,, which was re-named as the Queen's Institute of District Nursing in 1928 and as the Queen's Nursing Institute in 1973.
In the 1890s she played an active role in the campaign for midwife registration, giving evidence in 1892 to the select committee on midwifery, but it was not until 1902 that the Midwives Act
Midwives Act 1902
The Midwives Act 1902 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, given the royal assent on 31 July 1902, in force from 1 April 1903, and repealed in 1951....
was passed. It made it an offence for anyone not properly certificated to describe herself, or practise, as a midwife, and established the Central Midwives' Board, of which Paget was a member until 1924. She was a supporter of women's suffrage
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
; in July 1908 she led 20 members in a suffrage procession under the banner of Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
.
Personal life
Paget was the daughter of a Whig author and police magistrate, John Paget and his wife, Elizabeth (née Rathbone). She never married. She died in 1948, aged 93.Honours
She was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1935.
Legacies
The Dame Rosalind Paget Memorial Lecture and Rosalind Paget Trust were established in her honour.External links
- http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101035356/
- http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/doc_WTL039934.html
- http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp75834/dame-mary-rosalind-paget (image)