Bertha Phillpotts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bertha Phillpotts
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1921 portrait by Philip de László
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| Born | 25 October 1877 Bedford
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| Died | 20 January 1932 (aged 54) Cambridge
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| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
| Spouse(s) |
Hugh F. Newall
(m. 1931) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Girton College British Legation, Stockholm Westfield College |
Dame Bertha Surtees Phillpotts (born October 25, 1877 – died January 20, 1932) was an amazing English scholar. She studied many subjects, including Scandinavian languages, their literature, history, archaeology, and anthropology. She was known for her adventurous spirit and her important work in understanding ancient Norse stories.
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Bertha Phillpotts' Life Story
Bertha Phillpotts was born in Bedford, England, on October 25, 1877. Her father, James Surtees Phillpotts, was a headmaster who helped make Bedford School very famous. Her mother, Marian Hadfield Phillpotts, was also very good with languages.
Bertha was taught at home when she was young. In 1898, she won a special scholarship to Girton College at the University of Cambridge. There, she studied old and modern languages, especially Old Norse and Celtic. She finished her studies in 1901 with top grades.
After college, Bertha received another scholarship. This allowed her to travel to Iceland and Copenhagen to continue her research. From 1906 to 1909, she worked as a librarian at Girton College. In 1911, she won a prize for her essay about ancient Germanic families. In 1913, she became the first Lady Carlisle Research Fellow at Somerville College, Oxford. This was a special research position.
Working During World War I
During the First World War, Bertha helped out at the British Legation (like an embassy) in Stockholm, Sweden. She worked mostly as a volunteer. Her older brother, Owen, also worked there. Bertha helped with office tasks and research for the head of the mission.
Her other older brother, Brian, was a soldier who was sadly wounded in the war in 1917. Her younger sister, Marjory, was a great hockey player who captained the England Ladies Hockey Team.
Leading Colleges and Research
From 1919 to 1921, Bertha was the Principal of Westfield College. This means she was in charge of the college. She was also a member of the College Council for many years.
In 1922, she became the Mistress of Girton College. This was a very important leadership role. She held this job until 1925. She then resigned to take care of her elderly father, who lived in Tunbridge Wells.
Even after resigning, she stayed involved with Girton College. She was elected to a research fellowship. This meant she could continue her studies. She often drove her car, which she called "Freda," between Tunbridge Wells and Cambridge.
In 1922, Bertha was chosen to be on a special commission for the University of Cambridge. She was the only woman on this important group. She also served on a similar commission for the University of London. From 1926 until her death, she was the director of Scandinavian studies at Girton College. She also taught at the university.
Her research was very wide-ranging. She translated old Icelandic sagas, which are ancient stories. She also studied how Old Norse and Icelandic influenced the English language. She is especially famous for her idea that the Eddic poems (old Norse poems) might have come from ancient plays or rituals.
In June 1931, Bertha married Hugh Frank Newall. He was a fellow academic from Cambridge who studied astrophysics, which is the science of stars and space.
Her Final Years
Bertha Phillpotts passed away from cancer in Cambridge on January 20, 1932. She was 54 years old. She was buried next to her parents in Tunbridge Wells.
Awards and Honours
Bertha Phillpotts received many honours for her hard work.
- In 1918, she was recognized for her service during World War I.
- In 1929, she was given the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This is a very high honour. She was the first female academic to receive it.
- In 1919, she received an honorary doctorate degree from Trinity College, Dublin.
A Scholarship in Her Name
Today, there is a special fund called the Dame Bertha Phillpotts Memorial Fund. It helps students and scholars who want to study Old Norse and Icelandic languages and literature at the University of Cambridge. This fund keeps her memory and her work alive.
Her Amazing Personality
Bertha Phillpotts was known for being lively, brave, and adventurous. People who knew her often shared stories about her.
One friend from Cambridge said: "She was a yachting expert and even taught famous professors how to sail! On her first trip to Iceland, she explored with only a pony for company. She was also incredibly brave, learning to drive a car in just a few lessons and then driving it through busy streets!"
Another friend, Mary Anderson, shared this story: "One summer, Bertha came to stay with us. She wasn't feeling well, but when she heard our son was racing his boat, she insisted on joining him. Her boat won the race! The next day, she raced again and came in second. The day after, she raced a third time and came in third. When I told her she should rest, she just laughed and said, 'Don't! When you talk to me like that the buttons burst off my shoes!'"
Bertha also had a great sense of humour. She often told a funny story about a trip to Iceland in 1904 with her brother Brian. They stayed in a remote house where the food was very basic (hard dried fish and sour milk). The bed had bugs, and a pony even kicked her leg! The next day, they decided to leave and find a better place to eat and sleep. This story shows how tough and funny she was.
Photographs
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Bertha Phillpotts boating at Bedford with her sister Marjory, around 1896
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Bertha Phillpotts at Girton College, around 1901
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Bertha Phillpotts around 1920
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Portrait of Bertha Phillpotts at Girton College, Cambridge
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First page of a letter from Bertha Phillpotts to her brother Geoffrey, 1904
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First page of a letter from Bertha Phillpotts to her parents, 1918
Her Books
Here are some of the books Dame Bertha Phillpotts wrote:
- Kindred and Clan (1913) - A book about family groups and clans.
- The Elder Edda and Ancient Scandinavian Drama (1920) - This book explores old Norse poems and how they might relate to ancient plays.
- The Life of the Icelander Jón Ólafsson, Traveller to India (1923) - She translated and edited this old Icelandic story.
- Wyrd and Providence in Anglo-Saxon Thought (1928) - About ideas of fate and destiny in old English thinking.
- Edda and Saga (1931) - More about the famous Edda poems and sagas.
Some books written about her include:
- "Dame Bertha Phillpotts and the Search for Scandinavian Drama" by Terry Gunnell (1999)
- "Kindred, College and Scholarship in the Lifework of Bertha Surtees Phillpotts (1877-1932)" by Russell Poole (2005)
See also
In Spanish: Bertha Phillpotts para niños
