Early women graduates
In 1903, the first women graduated with Honours in History from St Andrews.
History had only became an option for M.A. students at St Andrews in the 1890s. The first Lecturer in History, James Mackinnon, was appointed in 1896. Thus, it was not until 1900 that the first students graduated with Honours in History (i.e. having taken History in their final two years of study). They were John Key and Edwin Jackson, in 1900, followed by Alexander Logan in 1901.
In 1903, there were just five students graduating with Honours History. Among them were:
Helen Florence Douglas-Irvine (1880-1946/7) was a member of the Douglas family of Grangemuir near Pittenweem, Fife. In the 1910s, she wrote several books of history. She changed her name to Helen Florence Douglas in 1919. In the 1930s and 1940s, she became a novelist. Some of her publications are listed on Wikipedia.
Elizabeth Peddie Steele Hutton (d.1906) was a widow from a family with long-standing scholarly interests. Read more about her…
In 1904, Elizabeth Anderson McIntyre also graduated with Honours in History.