University College of North Wales, Bangor

The location for a North Wales college was settled in 1884, with Bangor being chosen as the location.106 Though co-educational, life for the women students was strictly controlled. J. Gwynne Williams elaborated  

Bangor was by no means unusual in drawing up careful rules to govern relations between men and women students. If they talked to one another for more than a few moments even between lectures, they were in danger of being reported for 

There was a rigid system of chaperonage, the women s warden attending all mixed gatherings.107 

From 1903 until his death in 1930, Kennedy Joseph Previte Orton108 held the Chair of Chemistry, and the women chemists who came to Bangor all undertook research with him (including Phyllis McKie, see Chap. 12). Orton was a strong believer in the historical context of chemistry, and a quote by one of his obituarists is of note as it mentions the book written by Ida Freund (see Chap. 6)  

Historical chemical characters were made to live. Who will ever forget the lecture on Mendeleeffs prediction of the properties 

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Centre for Arid Zone Studies and School of Biological Science, University College of North Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales LL57 2UW. 

Stanley Peat University College of North Wales Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales... 

One of Orton s students was Alice Emily Smith. Smith was born on 18 June 1871, daughter of Thomas Smith, Commission Agent of Warrenpoint, County Down, Northern Ireland and she was educated at Crescent House School, Bedford.109 She entered University College of North Wales, Bangor, in 1897 and completed a B.Sc. (London) in chemistry in 1901. Smith was awarded an 1851 Scholarship, which she chose to use from 1901 to 1903 at Owens College, Manchester, where she worked with William Perkin, Jr.,110 her research resulting in four substantial papers. 

Record of the Science Research Scholars of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, 1891-1960. The Commissioners, London (December 1900). University College of North Wales, Bangor. Magazine 38 and University of Wales, Bangor, Archives, student records. E. W. Thomas, Archivist, is thanked for supplying a copy of this document. 

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