Women make academic history

By Melissa Jackson
BBC News education reporter

Some of the first graduates (British Film Institute)

Four women were among the first students to graduate from Birmingham University in 1901 - and the presentation ceremony was recorded on recently discovered archive film.

The rare footage is part of the British Film Institute's (BFI) Mitchell and Kenyon collection - an unparalleled visual record of everyday life in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century, which is being shown by the BBC.

Birmingham was one of the first universities in the country - outside London - to admit women.

During the ceremony, at Birmingham town hall, 62 awards were presented, among them were Caroline Morgan (BSc), Gertrude May (MA), Margaret Hawkes (BA) and Anne Marchant (BA).

Margaret Hawkes BA (BFI)

University archivist Christine Penney said: "It was still quite unusual for women to go into higher education."

A report in the University of Birmingham magazine in 1901 stated: "For the MA degree it so happened there were just two candidates, one of whom was a lady and the other a gentleman.

"And the effect as they stood together at the foot of the steps of the dais (sc. altar) waiting for the somewhat tardy summons of the Dean, was irresistible and gave rise to many witticisms, such as 'Have you got the ring?' 'I will', 'I won't', 'I protest'."

Margaret Hawkes went into teaching after leaving the university and became English mistress at Edgbaston college from 1919-24.

Elsie May was secretary of the university's German society from 1900-01 and was awarded the coveted Bunce local history prize in the same year.

High jinks

University students could choose from 37 subjects including maths, physics, chemistry, plus some more unusual ones like brewing, coal mining and metallurgy.

Joseph Chamberlain (BFI)

It was a world away from the university of today, which is based at Edgbaston and has 4,500 undergraduates and offers 560 courses.

Ms Penney said: "Some of these innovative courses reflected the area and a model coal mine was built at the university, which is still here today, although it is now closed.

The university's chancellor in 1901 was Joseph Chamberlain (father of Neville Chamberlain, British prime minister from 1937-40), who presented the students with their degrees at the ceremony.

The ceremony was laden with pomp and ceremony but with all the usual high jinks for which students are renowned.

Birmingham's 1901 graduates (BFI)

The university magazine in 1901 stated: "The town hall was gay, not only with summer dresses of the latest and brightest, but also with gowns and hoods appropriate to many different degrees."

It went on to detail the events surrounding the presentation of the first dental degrees.

"Mr Humphreys and Mr Huxley were presented for the new degree of Master of Dental Surgery; they were received with shouts of 'Give them gas', though a small section was in favour of brandy as an alternative," it revealed.

The Mitchell and Kenyon collection of 800 rolls of film were found three years ago in the basement of a Blackburn shop and restored by the BFI.

Film highlights of the degree ceremony will feature in the second part of "The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon" on BBC 2 on Friday 21 January at 2100.