Louisa Stevenson: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:20, 13 May 2006

Latest revision as of 22:26, 19 June 2025

(76 intermediate revisions by 47 users not shown)

Line 1:

'''Louisa Stevenson''' (1835 – 1908) was a{{Short description|Scottish campaigner for women's universityrights education, women's suffrage and effective, well(1835-organised nursing.1908)}}

{{for|the conservationist|Louisa Hope Stevenson}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Louisa Stevenson

| image = Louisa Stevenson.jpg

| post-nominals =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1835|7|15|df=y}}

| birth_place = [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]]

| death_date = {{death date and age|1908|5|13|1835|7|15|df=y}}

| death_place = [[Edinburgh]], Scotland

| resting_place = [[Dean Cemetery]], Edinburgh

| nationality = [[United Kingdom|Scottish]]

| known_for = Campaigner for Scottish women's university education, women's suffrage and effective nursing.

| honours = [[Legum Doctor|LLD]]

| father = [[James Stevenson (merchant)|James Stevenson]]

| relatives = [[Flora Stevenson]] (sister)<br>[[J. J. Stevenson|John James Stevenson]] (brother)<br>[[James Cochran Stevenson]] (brother)<br>[[James Croesus Stevenson]] (cousin)

}}

'''Louisa Stevenson''' (15 July 1835 – 13 May 1908) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] campaigner for women's university education, [[women's suffrage]] and effective, well-organised nursing. She was the co-founder of Edinburgh’s [[Queen Margaret University]].

==Family==

[[File:13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh, home of Flora and Louisa Stevenson, Scottish campaigners for women's rights]]

Born in Glasgow on 15 July 1835 to James (1786 – 1866) and Jane Stevenson, Louisa was one of a large family including her sister [[Flora Stevenson|Flora]] and the architect John James Stevenson. The family moved to Edinburgh shortly before Mrs Stevenson died in 1854, and in 1859 settled in a house in Randolph Crescent where Louisa, Flora, Elisa Stevenson (1828 – 1904), an early suffragist, and Jane Stevenson (1828 – 1904) spent the rest of their lives. After their father died they were able to live comfortably and contribute financially to various causes.

[[File:Plaque at 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|Plaque at 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh, home of Flora and Louisa Stevenson, Scottish campaigners for women's rights]]

Stevenson was born at [[Glasgow]], the daughter of Jane Stewart Shannan, daughter of Alexander Shannan, a merchant of Greenock and [[James Stevenson (merchant)|James Stevenson]] (1786&ndash;1866), a merchant of Glasgow.<ref name=ladrb>{{Cite book |last=Kelly |first=Serena |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-50711 |title=Stevenson, Louisa (1835–1908), campaigner for women's rights |date=2004-09-23 |publisher=Oxford University Press |series=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/50711}}</ref> Louisa was one of a large family including her fellow-campaigner and sister [[Flora Stevenson|Flora]],<ref>{{Citation |title=Flora Stevenson |date=2004-09-23 |work=The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |editor-last=Matthew |editor-first=H. C. G. |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/46826 |access-date=2024-10-29 |place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/46826 |editor2-last=Harrison |editor2-first=B.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> the architect [[J. J. Stevenson|John James Stevenson]], and MP [[James Cochran Stevenson]]. The family moved to [[Jarrow]] in 1844 when James Stevenson became partner in a chemical works. After he retired in 1854 the family moved to [[Edinburgh]] shortly before Mrs Stevenson died, and in 1859 they settled in a house in Randolph Crescent, where they spent the rest of their lives. Louisa, Flora, Elisa Stevenson (1829&ndash;1904), an early suffragist, and founding member of the [[Edinburgh National Society for Women's Suffrage]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Smitley|first=Megan K.|url=https://theses.gla.ac.uk/1488/|title='Woman's mission': the temperance and women's suffrage movements in Scotland, c.1870-1914|publisher=University of Glasgow|year=2002|___location=Glasgow|pages=76, 214}}</ref> which Louisa and Flora also joined, but sister Jane Stevenson (1828&ndash;1904), although a strong influence within the family but did not participate in her sisters' activities beyond the home and Eliza was said to be of delicate health.<ref name=athome>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2VtIAQAAMAAJ |page=268|title=The Woman at Home |date=1895 |publisher=Warwick Magazine Company |language=en}}</ref> After their father died leaving them comfortably off the Misses Stevenson were able to contribute financially to various causes.

==Education and nursing==

Louisa Stevenson was a member and honorary secretary of the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association (which later became the [[Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women]] or EAUEW)<ref name=athome/> and in 1868 she and Flora attended the first course of lectures for women given by Professor [[David Masson]]. This was the time when [[Sophia Jex-Blake]] was starting her [[Edinburgh Seven|campaign]] to open up medical education to women and Stevenson was honorary treasurer of a committee formed to support Jex-Blake and help with her legal costs. Stevenson'sShe workand as[[Flora aStevenson|Flora]] leadingpaid figurefor intheir theniece EAUEW[[Alice contributedStewart Ker]] to thestudy Universitiesmedicine (Scotland)in Act[[Bern]] 1889for whicha meantyear. thatAlice Scottishwas universitiesto werebecome openthe to women13th studentsfemale fromBritish 1892doctor.<ref Thisname="Crawford2003">{{cite ledbook|author=Elizabeth toCrawford|title=The fund-raising for a womenWomen's hallSuffrage ofMovement: residenceA atReference [[EdinburghGuide University]],1866-1928|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygXwlK_mj50C&pg=PT842|date=2 theSeptember Masson Hall, which opened in 1897 with Louisa Stevenson as honorary secretary.2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=1-135-43401-8|pages=842–}}</ref>

Stevenson's role in the EAUEW led to her giving evidence to a Commission on University Education, so contributing to the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889 which meant that Scottish universities were open to women students from 1892. This led to fund-raising for a women's hall of residence at the [[University of Edinburgh]], the Masson Hall, which opened in 1897 with Louisa Stevenson as honorary secretary. [[File:Plaque to Louisa Stevenson and Christian Guthrie Wright at 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|Plaque to Louisa Stevenson and Christian Guthrie Wright at 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh]]

She also contributed to education by co-founding the Edinburgh School of Cookery and encouraging the establishment of similar schools in other towns. The Edinburgh School was a forerunner of [[Queen Margaret University College]].

She also contributed to education by co-founding the Edinburgh School of Cookery at Atholl Crescent, with [[Christian Guthrie Wright|Christian Edington Guthrie Wright]]. The school under [[Ethel Maud De la Cour]] was to define [[Domestic Science]] teaching in Scotland.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Cour, Ethel Maud De la (1869–1957), college head and soroptimist|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-52733|access-date=2020-10-10|year = 2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/52733}}</ref> The Edinburgh School was a forerunner of [[Queen Margaret University]].

Stevenson took a particular interest in the standard of nursing at the [[poorhouse]] in her position as the first female [[poor law]] guardian in the city. She helped manage the Jubilee Nurses Institute (for [[District Nurse]]s) and the Colonial Nursing Organisation (nurses needed in various parts of the [[British Empire]]), and was also President of the Society for the State Registration of Trained Nurses.

Stevenson took a particular interest in the standard of nursing at the [[poorhouse]] in her position as the first female [[poor law]] guardian in the city. She helped manage the Jubilee Nurses Institute (for [[District Nurse]]s) and the Colonial Nursing Organisation (nurses needed in various parts of the [[British Empire]]), and was also Presidentpresident of the Society for the State Registration of Trained Nurses.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/data/VOLUME029-1902/page008-volume29-5thjuly-1902.pdf |title=Miss Louisa Stevenson: President of the Society for the State Registration of Trained Nurses |journal=[[British Journal of Nursing]]|pages=8–9 |date=5 July 1902}}</ref>

==Other interests==

[[File:The grave of Flora Stevenson, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|The grave of Louisa and Flora Stevenson, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh]]

While her sister Flora was one of the first women ever to serve on a school board, Louisa was one of the first women elected to a hospital board (and re-elected six times),<ref name=":0" /> and her work was so valuable that she changed the attitude of one male board member who had at first been opposed to the idea of a woman helping to run the [[Edinburgh Royal Infirmary]]. She believed that women's qualifications for helping with hospital management were equal to men's though each sex might bring somewhat different experience to the task. And she was also one of the first (of two) women elected to the city's parochial board (later parish council) which she served upon for ten years.<ref name=":0" />

All her life, Louisa Stevenson supported the cause of [[women's suffrage]] and she was an executive committee member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies in the 1890s. In the last years of her life, she met [[Prime Minister]] [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]] as part of a deputation of women's suffragists, and in that same year, 1906, she received an honorary degree of [[Legum Doctor|LLD]] from Edinburghthe [[University. She died on 13 May 1908, at home inof Edinburgh]].

While her sister Flora was one of the first women ever to serve on a school board, Louisa was one of the first women elected to a hospital board, and her work was so valuable that she changed the attitude of one male board member who had at first been opposed to the idea of a woman helping to run the [[Edinburgh Royal Infirmary]]. She believed that women's qualifications for helping with hospital management were equal to men's though each sex might bring somewhat different experience to the task.

She died on 13 May 1908, at home in Edinburgh.<ref name="Herald obituary">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v-BAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gKYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5181%2C1574771 |title=Death of Miss Louisa Stevenson |work=The Glasgow Herald |page=6 |date=14 May 1908 |access-date=24 April 2017}}</ref> She is buried with her sisters in [[Dean Cemetery]] in western Edinburgh. The grave lies on the southern wall above the south terrace.

All her life, Louisa Stevenson supported the cause of [[women's suffrage]] and she was an executive committee member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies in the 1890s. In the last years of her life she met [[Prime Minister]] [[Henry Campbell-Bannerman]] as part of a deputation of women's suffragists, and in that same year, 1906, she received an honorary degree of [[LLD]] from Edinburgh University. She died on 13 May 1908, at home in Edinburgh.

[[The British Journal of Nursing]] attributed her success in everything she did to her "genial courtesy", "indomitable perseverance" and a "thorough grasp of the subject in hand".

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Sources==

*''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''

*[{{cite journal |url=http://rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/data/VOLUME029-1902/page008-volume29-5thjuly-1902.pdf ''|title=Miss Louisa Stevenson, President of the Society for the State Registration of Trained Nurses |journal=British Journal of Nursing'' |date=5 July 1902]|page=8}}

*''Scotsman'' obituary, 14 May 1908

==External links==

*[http://www.qmuc.ac.uk/quality/core/ee/aboutQMUC.htm Edinburgh Cookery School]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Scottish women|Stevenson, Louisa]]

{{Women's suffrage in Scotland}}

[[Category:Women of the Suffrage movement|Stevenson, Louisa]]

[[Category:Women of the Victorian era|Stevenson, Louisa]]

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:Education in Scotland|Stevenson, Louisa]]}}

[[Category:1835 births]]

[[Category:1908 deaths]]

[[Category:Nurses from Edinburgh]]

[[Category:Scottish women|Stevenson, Louisasuffragists]]

[[Category:Women of the SuffrageVictorian movement|Stevenson, Louisaera]]

[[Category:Founders of Scottish schools and colleges]]

[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]