History Day Presentation for 2023
Digitisation of legal education examination records from the IALS archives.
The IALS presentation for History Day 2023 looks at legal education examination records held by the Institute. We also look at a collaborative project with Ancestry to digitize archival lists of candidates for the Law Society examinations along with related correspondence.
For more information on the archives held by the Institute please take a look at our dedicated archives section on the website, and our archives guides.
In 2021, the Institute collaborated with Ancestry to digitize 440 volumes the Law Society’s lists of candidates for examinations along with examination results. The digitization project covered the period from 1836-1947.
For History Day 23, the IALS looks briefly at,
Found amongst the records are some famous names, including the first women to enter the legal profession after the Sex Disqualification Act (Removal) Act of 1919 came into force.
Maud Crofts (1889-1965)
Mary Pickup (1818-1923)
Mary Sykes (1896-1981)
Carrie Morrison (1888-1950)
Stella Thomas was first called to the Bar in 1933. She was a founding member of the League of Coloured Peoples, an organisation aimed at promoting the rights of African and Caribbean peoples in the UK and Commonwealth.
On her return to West Africa, she established her own law practice and became West Africa's first female magistrate.
The records digitised for the project can be found on the Ancestry website at link:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62335/. An account will be required to view scanned pages in full.
Find out more about individuals mentioned in the presentation by clicking on our further resources links. We've also included links to legislation and sites of interest.
Source link: https://legislation.gov.uk
King's Printer copy as originally enacted available in PDF format.
Scrapbooks of Maud Isabel Crofts
Source: Archives Hub (JISC)
“We women want not privileges but equality”
Source: The First 100 Years
Kickass Lady Lawyers: Maud Crofts
Source: The Portia Post
Maud Crofts: Celebrating the Centenary of Women Lawyers (audio)
Source: Celebrating the Centenary of Women Lawyers. An audio file of an article Maud Crofts wrote for The Evening News published on 14 March 1914.
Women under English law by Maud Crofts
IALS Library holds two editions of this book.
Source: The First 100 Years
Trailblazing solicitors: the women who broke the barrier
Source: The Law Society
Mary Elaine Sykes, “The Wise Little Owl”
Source: The First 100 Years
Mary Sykes: ‘a rather independent manner’
Source: The Law Society Gazette
Mary Sykes: Celebrating the Centenary of Women Lawyers (audio)
Source: Celebrating the Centenary of Women Lawyers. Includes an interview given by Mary Sykes to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner on 30 June 1949.
Carrie Morrison: “Men say the law is too rough and tumble for women”
Source: The First 100 Years
Source: The First 100 Years
Carrie Morrison – an unlikely solicitor
Source: The Law Society Gazette
Carrie Morrison: Women's Legal Landmarks
Source:: Women's Legal Landmarks
Source: The Inner Temple
Stella Jane Marke First Woman Lawyer (Nigeria)
Source: African Women in Law
Stella Thomas becomes the first West African woman to be called to the Bar
Source: The First 100 Years