Talk:Hilda Lorimer

Fellow at Somerville College
,, The article says "In 1896, she became a fellow and tutor of Classics at Somerville College, Oxford". Do either of you know when Somerville appointed its first fellows as that could be a useful addition to the college article? The Victoria County History (https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol3/pp343-347) says "it was not till 1921 that the Articles of Association were amended to allow the creation of not less than six or more than nine official fellows with membership of council", which suggests that Lorimer was not an "official fellow with membership of council" in 1896. TSventon (talk) 17:41, 19 August 2020 (UTC)
 * I asked the college and Kate, the Assistant Archivist, let me know the following: "I think official fellow refers to those elected to serve on the Council. The first fellow listed in the college register is Lilla Haigh, appointed in 1882, though her role was more administrative than academic. (In this context, the term 'fellow' is used in the wider sense of a senior member of college with academic or administrative duties, rather than someone elected to a specific fellowship). Tutors were not involved in the government of the college in the early decades although from c.1902, they could elect a colleague to represent them on the Council, so there are examples of fellows serving as Council members before 1922. However, in December 1921, the constitution was altered to increase the representation of tutors on the Council, by reducing the number of Council members from outside the college and by electing between 6 and 9 official fellows from among 'those holding teaching or administrative posts on the college staff' (Somerville for Women, Pauline Adams, OUP 1996). Therefore, the first fellow was in 1882, Hilda Lorimer was Tutor of Classics and is listed in the register as a fellow from 1896, but it was not until 1922 that she was elected to the Council as one of the college's 'official fellows'." Aivin G. (talk) 20:16, 20 August 2020 (UTC)
 * , that is interesting, I thought there would be a difference between "fellow" and "official fellow with membership of council". According to The History of the University of Oxford: The Twentieth Century, p258 Lilla Haigh was the first in house tutor at Somerville in 1882, which may be worth noting in the Somerville article. (It seems that Somerville gave their tutors the title of fellow from the beginning.) I have also discovered the St Hugh's crisis of 1923-24 concerning Cecilia Ady and will try to add that to the St Hugh's article. Would you be interested in adding a paragraph on the development of the governing body at Somerville to the article? It would help fill the gap in history between the first world war and the admission of men. I would try myself but I don't have Pauline Adams' book. TSventon (talk) 10:21, 21 August 2020 (UTC)
 * I'll try work on it next month when I'm back in Oxford where I have the book, many thanks.Aivin G. (talk) 13:19, 21 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks, do you have any plans to take Somerville to WP:GA at some point? If so I would be happy to help, but not with accessing books in Somerville Library. TSventon (talk) 09:56, 23 August 2020 (UTC)