Mary Crudelius facts for kids
Mary Crudelius (born Mary McLean) was an important British campaigner for women's education and voting rights. She lived in Leith, Edinburgh in the 1860s and 1870s. She helped start the Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women, which worked to give women better chances to study at university.
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Early Life and Education
Mary McLean was born on 23 February 1839 in Bury, Lancashire. Her parents, Mary Alexander and William McLean, were both from Scotland. In the 1850s, they sent her to a girls' boarding school in Edinburgh called Misses Turnbull's School.
While staying with friends, Mary met Rudolph Wilhelm Crudelius. His father was a German wool merchant. Mary and Rudolph married in 1861. They lived in Newhaven, near Edinburgh. Rudolph often traveled for his business, and Mary wrote him many long letters. In these letters, she shared her ideas and discussed important topics. Later, she used her excellent writing skills to support her social and political causes.
In Edinburgh, she also helped establish the Edinburgh Ladies Educational Institution.
Fighting for Women's Rights
In 1866, Mary Crudelius signed one of the first petitions sent to Parliament asking for women to have the right to vote. She then dedicated herself to improving education for women. This began in 1867 when she spoke at a discussion group for women called the Edinburgh Essay Society.
Soon after, Mary and other women, including Madeline Daniell and Sarah Mair, created the Edinburgh Ladies' Educational Association (ELEA). Their main goal was to make sure women had the same chances to get an education as men.
The ELEA's Mission
Mary Crudelius believed that women should be allowed to attend universities, not just separate women's colleges. However, she didn't want women and men to be in the same classes at first. She worked hard to set things up in a way that would avoid criticism.
During this time, Sophia Jex-Blake was also campaigning for women to study medicine alongside men. But the ELEA tried to keep some distance from Jex-Blake's group. Mary Crudelius was the ELEA's first secretary and a respected leader. She helped the association through some disagreements, including one with the university. This disagreement was about giving a university certificate to women who passed exams after attending ELEA lectures.
The ELEA designed its classes to match the university's arts courses and standards. They received support from several important male professors, especially David Masson. Professor Masson strongly supported the idea of women getting an education. In 1868, 400 women attended his first lecture on English Literature, and 250 of them stayed for the entire series of lectures.
The university certificate for women was successfully introduced in 1872. Mary Crudelius hoped that women would eventually be able to earn full university degrees. Sadly, her health had been poor for some time, and she did not live to see this happen.
Legacy and Impact
Mary Crudelius passed away on 24 July 1877. She was buried in Warriston Cemetery in Edinburgh. Her husband, Rudolph, was later buried with her and his parents.
Her death happened fifteen years before the first Scottish universities finally allowed women to enroll as undergraduates in 1892. Mary's two daughters, Mary and Maud, received their education through the ELEA in the 1880s. For a few years, there was even a Crudelius Hall of residence for female students, which was later replaced by the Masson Hall in 1897.
In 1879, a book called A Memoir of Mrs. Crudelius was published. It included some of her letters, poems, and reports she had written for the ELEA.
Mary Crudelius's granddaughter was Edith Burnet, who is known as the first British female architect. There is also a plaque honoring Mary Crudelius in Bristo Square in Edinburgh, remembering her important work.
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