author
Grace E. (Grace Eleanor) Hadow
1875–1940
An Oxford scholar and educational reformer, she helped shape what became St Anne's College and brought the same practical energy to the Women's Institutes. Her writing ranged from literary studies to clear, thoughtful work on social and public questions.
1 Audiobook
Chaucer and His Times
by Grace E. (Grace Eleanor) Hadow
About the author
Born in 1875 near Cirencester, Grace Eleanor Hadow studied at Somerset House Hall in Oxford, later St Anne's College, and built a career that combined scholarship with public service. She taught and wrote on English literature, producing books and edited collections on writers including Chaucer, Addison, and Goldsmith.
Hadow is especially remembered for her leadership in women's education at Oxford. In 1929 she became principal of the Society of Home-Students, the institution that developed into St Anne's College, and she worked to strengthen its academic standing and community life.
Her interests reached well beyond the university. She was active in adult education and social questions, served prominently in the National Federation of Women's Institutes, and earned an OBE for her public work. She died in 1940, leaving a reputation for combining serious learning with practical commitment to education and citizenship.