Mathematician

45

Single

3 Osborne Terrace, Newcastle

NUWSS

Evades

Frances (1866 – 1941) was born in Essex into a family of wealthy academics. Her great grandfather was astronomer Sir William Herschel and her aunt Constance Herschel lectured in natural science and mathematics and was one of the earliest female lecturers at Girton College, Cambridge. Frances also studied mathematics at Girton and became one of the founding members of the American Mathematical Society in 1894 while studying at Bryn Mawr college in the US to obtain a degree given many British institutions would not allow women to sit for exams. More is known about Frances’ mathematical achievements (for more on this see sources below) than her suffrage work, which can be traced back to her time at Girton where she spoke to the oratorial society on its aims and history in relation to the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Higher Education of Women. She was also a member of the CWSA (Cambridge Association for Women’s Suffrage). Later, Frances became Honorary Secretary of the NUWSS and signed a letter written to The Times in 1908, stating her disagreement with suffragettes’ militant methods. She later became active in the suffrage movement in the Newcastle area through her lifetime companion (see) Dr. Ethel Williams, with whom she shared a home. Interestingly, Frances is absent from the 1911 census return for 3 Osborne Terrace as is Ethel who was evading the census in protest at her exclusion from the franchise despite the census boycott’s illegality. It is probable that Frances was evading with her. Source: Amy Todd 'Frances Hardcastle' https://womenvotepeace.com/women/frances-hardcastle-bio/ ; For more on her mathematics achievements see https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Hardcastle/