Vanessa Harding
Vanessa Harding knew nothing about St Andrews until she arrived on the sleeper at the start of term in autumn 1970. ‘It looked like a nice place to be, and I knew people who were there. It’s the kind of decision you…
Search by tag: research students
For posts about, or concerning, individuals who were research students in History (e.g. for PhD, MPhil, DPhil, etc)
A brief history of women historians at St Andrews
From 1877 onwards, the innovative St Andrews LLA qualification enabled women from across the UK (and beyond) to be examined and certified to degree level, at a time when few universities were willing to award degrees…
Barbara Crawford
Barbara Crawford lectured in the Department of Medieval History from 1971 until 2001. She had previously been both an undergraduate and postgraduate student at St Andrews, and was the first long-term woman staff member…
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…
Elizabeth Menzies PhD (1928-2008)
Elizabeth Alexandra Menzies, MA 1949, PhD 1954 (later, Mrs Johnson) Elizabeth Menzies (1928-2008) was the third woman to have been awarded a Ph.D. in History from St Andrews (although she seems to have been based at…
Edith Thomson PhD (1901-1988)
Edith Elizabeth Bruce Thomson, MA 1923; PhD 1928 (later Mrs Bracelin) Edith Thomson was the second woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in History at St Andrews. Her academic career appears to have been very similar to that…
Early women PhDs
The University of St Andrews has been awarding Ph.D. degrees for research theses since 1920. The names of the six women who are known to have been awarded Ph.D.s in History from 1920-70 [but see note below] are: 1927,…
Edith MacQueen PhD (1900-1977)
Edith Edgar MacQueen (1900-1977) MA 1922, PhD 1927 (later Mrs Haden-Guest, later Lady Haden-Guest) Edith MacQueen appears to have been the first woman historian to be awarded a Ph.D. in History by the University of St…