QUEEN'S COLLEGE, HARLEY STREET (fn. 7)
In 1843 the Governesses' Benevolent Institution
was founded to provide a training for governesses,
granting certificates to the proficient. The decision
to offer certificates to competent governesses led to
the establishment of a committee of examiners but
it was soon apparent that to do any real good it
would be necessary to provide 'an education for
female teachers'. (fn. 8) The committee of examiners later
became the committee of education, which in 1848
opened Queen's College at 66 (later renumbered
45) Harley Street. There was no endowment and the
college was dependent for its success on the unselfish devotion and energy of its founders, whose
aims were to set up an institution 'for the instruction
of ladies generally' and to raise the status and selfrespect of governesses by improving their qualifications. (fn. 9) F. D. Maurice was chairman of the committee,
and among his associates were Charles Kingsley,
John Hullah, William Sterndale Bennett, Charles
Grenfell Nicolay, Edward Plumptre, and Richard
Chenevix Trench. (fn. 10)
From the beginning the classes were open to all
girls and women above the age of twelve. (fn. 11) The
college was divided into seniors and juniors, (fn. 12) and
soon it became necessary to open a preparatory
class for younger girls and to offer additional classes
in the evening. It was open to any girl to 'select such
classes as will meet with her views' (fn. 13) and fees were
charged for each subject according to the number of
weekly classes held in it. Education was by a system
of lectures and essays; Maurice discouraged competition and allowed neither rewards nor punishments. A 'lady resident' received the pupils, and
because the committee and professors were men,
there were lady visitors to superintend the work of
the college, to chaperon the girls at their classes,
and to act as intermediaries between professors and
parents or guardians. These visitors were 'ladies of
rank and talent'; the duty became a fashionable
form of social service, and Lady Stanley of Alderley,
Lady Kay-Shuttleworth, and Lady Canning were
among those who served. (fn. 14)
Among the early pupils were Dorothea Beale,
later principal of Cheltenham Ladies' College, and
Frances Mary Buss, founder of the North London
Collegiate School for Girls. (fn. 15) Miss Beale later became
the first lady tutor, but resigned because she thought
that pupils were being taken into the college from
the preparatory class before they were sufficiently
prepared (fn. 16) and because she resented the limitation
on the authority of the women members of the staff,
claiming that 'though some classes may be profitably
undertaken by men, the education of girls as a whole
must be in the hands of their own sex'. (fn. 17) Miss Beale
may have come into conflict with Nicolay, deputy
chairman since 1848 and dean since 1853, who
resigned the latter office in 1856 after an investigating
committee had found that there was a lack of
confidence in him in the college, although he retained
his professorships until 1858. (fn. 18) In 1850 there was an
anonymous attack on Maurice, Nicolay, and Kingsley, based on their introductory lectures at the
college; (fn. 19) in 1853, on his dismissal from King's
College, Maurice submitted his resignation, and
although a majority of the Council voted against its
acceptance he refused to withdraw it without a
unanimous vote in his favour. He returned as professor of English Literature and Modern History
from 1858 to 1866.
The Bishop of London was invited to become
Visitor of the college in 1851, and in 1853 the college
was granted a royal charter; the bishop took the
chair at the first annual meeting held by the college
separately from the Governesses' Benevolent Institution. In 1864 the first principal of the college, A. P.
Stanley, Dean of Westminster, was appointed. (fn. 20)
When the college was inspected in 1865 there were
124 pupils and 59 'non-compounders', students
who attended fewer classes. Fees ranged from 12 to
27 guineas a year and boarders paid 60 guineas;
music, drawing, dancing, writing, and private tuition
were charged as extras. (fn. 21) The Revd. E. H. Plumptre,
Maurice's brother-in-law, who had been connected
with the college from its foundation, was Principal
1875-9. (fn. 22) The Revd. J. Llewelyn Davies (principal
1873-5 and 1879-86) organized teaching for University of London matriculation and B.A. examinations, but although students continued to take
matriculation until it came to an end as a separate
examination, few entered for the B.A. and that part
of the plan was given up. (fn. 23)
In 1881 Camilla Croudace became lady resident.
She was a woman of wide interests and broad culture who was a dominant influence at Queen's for
a quarter of a century. (fn. 24) Among her early pupils was
Gertrude Bell (fn. 25) and one of her last was Katherine
Mansfield. The latter edited the college magazine,
contributed several stories herself, and began a
novel. (fn. 26) One of the staff who impressed Katherine
Mansfield was J. A. Cramb, the history professor,
whose lectures on Germany and England, published
in 1913, made a considerable stir. (fn. 27) Emile Cammaerts
was professor of French 1915-31. (fn. 28)
After the First World War the college introduced
secretarial and domestic science courses and expanded into 47 Harley Street. In 1932 Miss G. E.
Holloway became the first woman principal. The
college was evacuated to Keswick in 1938 and
Brackley in 1939, but in 1940 it returned to London
under the leadership of Miss A. M. Kynaston (acting
principal 1940-2, principal 1942-64) with a predominantly female staff. (fn. 29) Since 1931, when Board
of Education recognition was obtained, the college
has adapted itself to the general pattern of girls'
schools, but although it offers an education on
modern lines for the General Certificate of Education and university entrance, it still caters for some
non-examination and part-time students. The
college expanded into 49 Harley Street in 1963. In
1964 there were 245 pupils, of whom three were
non-compounders.