Advertisement

Sophie <I>Willock</I> Bryant

Advertisement

Sophie Willock Bryant

Birth
Sandymount, County Dublin, Ireland
Death
29 Aug 1922 (aged 72)
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Departement de la Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France
Burial
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Departement de la Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Sophie Bryant-She was an Anglo-Irish mathematician, educator, feminist and activist. She was the daughter of Revd Dr William Willock DD, Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Dublin and was educated at home, largely by her father. At the age of sixteen she moved to London, when her father was appointed Professor of Geometry at the University of London, and she attended Bedford College. At the age of nineteen she married Dr William Hicks Bryant, a surgeon ten years older than she was, who died of cirrhosis within a year. In 1875 she became a teacher and was invited by Frances Mary Buss to join the staff of North London Collegiate School. In 1885 she succeeded Miss Buss as headmistress of North London Collegiate, serving until 1918. When the University of London opened its degree courses to women in 1881, she became one of the first women to obtain First Class Honours, in Mental and Moral Sciences, together with a degree in mathematics. In 1882 she was the third woman to be elected to the London Mathematical Society, and was the first active female member, publishing her first paper with the Society in 1884. Sophie Bryant was a pioneer in education for women. She was the first woman to receive a DSc in England; one of the first three women to be appointed to a Royal Commission, the Bryce commission on Secondary Education in 1894–1895; and one of the first three women to be appointed to the Senate of the University of London. When Trinity College Dublin opened its degrees to women, Bryant was one of the first to be awarded an honorary doctorate. She was also instrumental in setting up the Cambridge Training College for Women, now Hughes Hall, Cambridge. She is also said to have been one of the first women to own a bicycle. She was interested in Irish politics, wrote books on Irish History and ancient Irish law, and was an ardent Protestant Irish nationalist. She supported women's suffrage but advocated postponement until women were better educated. She enjoyed mountain climbing and climbed the Matterhorn twice. She died in a hiking accident in the Alps in 1922.
Sophie Bryant-She was an Anglo-Irish mathematician, educator, feminist and activist. She was the daughter of Revd Dr William Willock DD, Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Dublin and was educated at home, largely by her father. At the age of sixteen she moved to London, when her father was appointed Professor of Geometry at the University of London, and she attended Bedford College. At the age of nineteen she married Dr William Hicks Bryant, a surgeon ten years older than she was, who died of cirrhosis within a year. In 1875 she became a teacher and was invited by Frances Mary Buss to join the staff of North London Collegiate School. In 1885 she succeeded Miss Buss as headmistress of North London Collegiate, serving until 1918. When the University of London opened its degree courses to women in 1881, she became one of the first women to obtain First Class Honours, in Mental and Moral Sciences, together with a degree in mathematics. In 1882 she was the third woman to be elected to the London Mathematical Society, and was the first active female member, publishing her first paper with the Society in 1884. Sophie Bryant was a pioneer in education for women. She was the first woman to receive a DSc in England; one of the first three women to be appointed to a Royal Commission, the Bryce commission on Secondary Education in 1894–1895; and one of the first three women to be appointed to the Senate of the University of London. When Trinity College Dublin opened its degrees to women, Bryant was one of the first to be awarded an honorary doctorate. She was also instrumental in setting up the Cambridge Training College for Women, now Hughes Hall, Cambridge. She is also said to have been one of the first women to own a bicycle. She was interested in Irish politics, wrote books on Irish History and ancient Irish law, and was an ardent Protestant Irish nationalist. She supported women's suffrage but advocated postponement until women were better educated. She enjoyed mountain climbing and climbed the Matterhorn twice. She died in a hiking accident in the Alps in 1922.

Sponsored by Ancestry

Advertisement

See more Bryant or Willock memorials in:

Flower Delivery Sponsor and Remove Ads

Advertisement

  • Created by: The Silent Forgotten
  • Added: Nov 16, 2012
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100804940/sophie-bryant: accessed ), memorial page for Sophie Willock Bryant (15 Feb 1850–29 Aug 1922), Find a Grave Memorial ID 100804940, citing Chamonix Communal Cemetery, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Departement de la Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France; Burial Details Unknown; Maintained by The Silent Forgotten (contributor 46537737).