Edith Dolby

EDITH E DOLBY 1863-1947

The 2 May 1947 edition of The Bedfordshire Times & Standard reported on the death of Miss Edith E Dolby, M.A. (Cantab.) a former Head Mistress of the Bedford Girls’ Modern School. The article stated that Miss Dolby was “one of the pioneers of girls’ education”. What the paper failed to report was that Edith Dolby was a pupil at Salts Girls High School.

Edith was born on 17 January 1863 in West Derby, Lancashire to Ernest and Eusebia Dolby. Her father was a woollen manufacturer. The 1871 census shows the family living in Leeds. 1879 records show Edith attending Salts Girls High School. In 1880 she was one of a group of 22 students who were sent by the Head Mistress, Miss Medina Griffiths, for examination by the College of Preceptors.

Edith at the College of Preceptors and Cambridge University

The College of Preceptors was established in 1846 by Henry Stein Turrell. It was originally known as the Society of Teachers and admitted men only. The College was incorporated by royal charter as the College of Preceptors in 1849 and it was in this year that women were admitted. 

At the time teaching had a poor reputation. Turrell’s primary aim was to provide a means of creating and maintaining professional standards in teaching. The College was the first professional body for teachers and pioneered formal training by examination for teachers. The College was also the one of the first bodies to examine and certify pupils, with girls being included from 1851.

The Dictionary of Victorian London states that the College was established

for the purpose of promoting sound learning and of advancing the interests of education, especially among the middle classes, by affording facilities to the teacher for acquiring a knowledge of his profession, and by providing for the periodical session of a  competent board of examiners, to ascertain and give certificates of the acquirements and fitness for their office of persons engaged or desiring to be engaged in the education of youth

It is not unreasonable to assume that, as the children at the Salts Girls High School were being entered for the College of Preceptors examinations, the Head Mistress Medina Griffiths was a member of the College of Preceptors. This could be a significant factor in explaining the number of students who graduated from the school and went on to have exemplary national and international careers.

At the College of Preceptors Edith studied honours mathematics and was distinguished in scripture, arithmetic, algebra, Euclid, French, drawing and music. This entitled her to hold the scholarship of sixty guineas a year, tenable for three years at Newnham Hall, Cambridge. Edith was the first holder of the Newnham Scholarship. 

In 1884 she graduated from Cambridge with second class honours in the Mathematical Tripos. 

Edith becomes a teacher and Head Mistress

After graduating, Edith was appointed Assistant Mistress at the Manchester High Schools, progressing over time to being Senior Mathematical Mistress.

In June 1894 the School Governors appointed Edith Dolby, one of fifty candidates, as Headmistress of the Bedford Girls’ Modern School. 

…Miss Dolby is in the prime of life, has a most pleasant way with her, a knack of winning the affection of her pupils and the friendship of the parents, and very high scholastic qualifications… (The Bedfordshire Mercury, Saturday, June 16, 1894.)

The School was established in1882 at the same time as the Bedford High School for girls. The Modern School was much less successful in attracting girls than the more traditional High School. In 1894 the Bedford Girls Modern School had 146 pupils, the Bedford High School 553. However, under Edith the school began to find its way. She was clearly an accomplished administrator and had a strong personality together with great “human sympathy”. The curriculum expanded, the girls stayed longer and by 1908 numbers had reached 312.

From various newspaper reports, but particularly from the Bedfordshire Times and Standard article at the time of her death, it becomes apparent that the school was her life. The School Boarding House was her home and “the children were her friends, and she concerned with their happiness and welfare”. Edith arranged picnics and other outings for them and Christmas parties. 

She clearly had great empathy with her pupils and staff and was an inspiration to them, both during their school lives and beyond. One old girl wrote:

So much to do with her was unforgettable. Her silvery hair and clear colour, the trim erectness of her figure, the full pleasant tones of her voice, her little humorous smile – these physical characteristics will be remembered by all who came into contact with her.

Edith took an active part in the life of the town sitting on various committees. She was remembered for her “practical qualities and the foresight and clearness of her thought”. In her spare time, she loved walking and spent holidays walking in Switzerland or by the English coast. On her retirement she travelled in Sicily and Italy.

Edith’s legacy

Edith Dolby had a very successful career and greatly influenced many pupils and those who taught and worked alongside her. Would this have been possible if she had not, herself, been nurtured and developed at Salts Girls High School? If Medina Griffiths had not entered her for the College of Preceptor exams? If she had not gone to Cambridge – how many others would not have gone on to make their mark on the world?

Caroline Perry 2024