Today is International Women’s Day and we are taking some time to celebrate a few of the women who helped make the Plymouth Athenaeum the organisation it is today.
Our current President, Shirley Paterson, has been a member of the Athenaeum for more than 60 years and has served in many roles – including Honorary Librarian from 1971-85 – and on many committees during that time.
She was awarded Honorary Life Membership in 2010, an honour she holds in common with another Athenaeum stalwart, Sheila Wilcockson, whose roles have included Lecture Secretary.
Shirley is supported in her position by Vice-President, Eileen Willey, while Monica Tully, Joy Pengilley and Vicky Gunston currently serve on the Society’s Board of Trustees.
However, women have played important roles for the Society since the latter half of the 19th Century.
In the 1830s women were first admitted to the special summer lectures at the Athenaeum, but the admission of women as members to our three founding organisations – the Plymouth Institution, founded in 1812, the Devon & Cornwall Natural History Society and the Plymouth Mechanics’ Institute – varied greatly.
Women subscribing half-a-guinea per annum would be admitted to the Devon & Cornwall Natural History Society, founded in 1838, without ballot and were allowed to attend the open lectures – those being defined as “Lectures such are deemed suitable for Ladies”.
George Wightwick, architect and associate of John Foulston, who designed the original Athenaeum building, recalled the grey atmosphere at the Institution’s weekly Thursday evening lectures in the mid-19th Century. He preferred to lecture at the Mechanics’ Institute, founded in 1825, where women apparently added ‘colour’.
Wightwick said: “The Athenæum, at that time, presented nothing but grave visages of critics in black, bent on self-regarding reserve and keen scrutiny!”
The Institution and Natural History Society merged in 1851, but it wasn’t until 1858 that “the gentlemanly preserve of the Plymouth Institution and Devon & Cornwall Natural History Society admitted women for the first time to its combined annual conversazione.”
And it took until 1873 for our first ‘Lady Associate Members’ to be elected: Miss Bond, Miss Hopper, Mrs Linde, Mrs Loye, Miss Rumble and Mrs Shilson.
In December 1888, Agnes Cooper broke the male only lecturing practice when discussing ‘Calderon as Poet and Dramatist’ and by 1894 women had finally broken through to the upper reaches of the Society, when Florence Field was elected Vice President.
It took a further 23 years until, in April 1917, Emma Scott was elected President of the Society – the first woman to hold that position.
Emma, a headmistress who lived in Lockyer Street, was elected to the Society in 1900 and had previously served as a Vice President.
She is one of 12 women who have served as President of the Society. Her President’s address was titled ‘WOMAN’S WORK’. Just three years later, she would be followed by another teacher, Mildred Raymond, who held the position during 1920-21.
It would be another 20 years before Dr Marie Lebour, a marine biologist known for her study of the life cycles of various marine animals, became the next women to wear the Presidential badge during 1940-41. Dr Lebour published more than 175 works during her long career, working at the Marine Biological Association’s Laboratory in Plymouth from 1915 to 1946.
Rita Lang was one of Plymouth’s most qualified musicians and a much respected, devoted and long-standing member of the Athenaeum, joining in the early 1930s.
As well as training many pupils privately in singing and playing, she taught music at St Dunstan’s Abbey. She was a very dedicated member and official of the Plymouth Organists Association, the Plymouth Madrigal Society and Plymouth Society of Music.
During the Second World War, she arranged a number of lunchtime concerts in the Abbey Hall. Later, she founded and directed the Plymouth Singers. Her musical standards were always high, but she brought enjoyment as well as enlightenment to many.
Rita was President of the Athenaeum from 1949-51.
Dr Alison Wilson was a keen conservationist, contributing records to the Atlas of British Flora and to a mapping scheme for the Devon Flora.
She was responsible for the preservation of the “Plymouth Pear” a tree that could have been lost when its sole habitat in Britain, at Estover, was threatened by industrial development. She was Athenaeum President in 1963-65.
Alongside her husband, Douglas, she was among those who pushed for the reconstruction of the Athenaeum. In 1961, as President, Douglas Wilson presided over the opening of the current building.
Alison Wilson died in October 1978 and the Vice President’s badge of office was presented to the Athenaeum by Douglas in memory of Alison in 1980.
Betty Smith, who passed away aged 92 in November 2020, was one of the rare Presidents of the Society to serve in the position on two separate occasions. She holds the unique distinction of holding the position in two different millennia – from 1998-2001 and 2005-08.
The full list of women to serve as President is: Miss E. Scott (1917-18), Miss M. Raymond (1920-21), Dr M.V. Lebour (1940-41), Miss R. Lang (1949-51), Mrs. W. Harper-Cornish (1955-58), Dr M.A. Wilson (1963-65), Mrs. J.C. Spring (1992-94), Mrs. M. Halfacree (1996-98), Mrs. B.J. Smith (1998-2001 & 2005-08), Mrs. P.E. Rowe (2001-03), Miss V.A. (Jo) Power (2008-10), Miss N.S.M. Paterson (2020- ).
To those women mentioned above, and to the many women past and present who have contributed so much to making the Plymouth Athenaeum the organisation it is today, we salute you!