Lorna Walker (1929-2023)
Lorna Walker studied History at St Andrews in the late 1940s, and returned in the 1960s as a lecturer in Medieval History and Warden of University Hall. She retired in 1991, and lived in St Andrews until her death in…
Search by tag: 1950s
For posts that concern the decade 1950-60
History graduates: statistics 1900-1975
Just one student graduated with Honours in History in 1900; by 1975, the graduating class had grown to 59 students. We know this, because the University of St Andrews ‘Calendars’, published annually, contained lists of…
Caroline Doris Ketelbey (1896-1990)
Doris Ketelbey was the first woman to hold a long-term position as member of staff in History at St Andrews [read about other early women staff]. She was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in 1935; and retired as…
Past History Papers: 1950s
Past exam papers allow us to piece together information about how History at the University of St Andrews was conceptualised and taught to students, and how that differs from different decades throughout the twentieth…
History in the early twentieth century: from one department to two
At the start of the twentieth century, the subject of ‘Modern History’ was taught at St Andrews by just one member of staff, a lecturer (although there was separate provision for ‘ancient history’ in the department of…
(Home)town and Gown: Mapping the Origins of Female Historian Undergrads
Whilst investigating the St Andrews women historian contingent, our main aim was to not only identify their presence, but also their backgrounds. This opportunity came in the form of hometown records listed in…
Doris Ketelbey in the Gold Coast
One of the most fascinating periods of Doris Ketelbey’s life is the six months she spent working in the British occupied Gold Coast from 1950-1951. Ever a historian at heart, Ketelbey saved a large collection of…
PhDs in History: the first four women
The first PhD in History at St Andrews was awarded to T.F.G Dexter in 1922. Perhaps remarkably, it was only a few years later before two women followed suit: Edith MacQueen and Edith Thomson were awarded their PhDs in…
Edith Johnston PhD (1930-2008)
Edith Mary Johnston, MA 1951 PhD 1956 (later, Mrs Liik) As far as we know, Edith Mary Johnston (1930-2008) was the first female St. Andrews PhD historian to go on to an academic career. Born in Belfast, in 1930 to…
Early women lecturers
When we began this project, we thought we knew that the old department of Mediaeval History had a better track-record of appointing women than the old department of Modern History. Local memory ‘knew’ about the…