British-born Gertrude Bell, also referred to as the female Lawrence of Arabia, was an adventurer, spy, archaeologist and powerful political force who travelled into the uncharted Arabian desert and was recruited by British Military Intelligence to help reshape the Middle East after World War I. This essay explores Gertrude Bell’s life and career from the broader perspective of women’s history in Britain. Tauris, 2006). Gertrude was only three years old when her mother died. Gertrude Bell followed where her curiosity led in ways no woman had before. Born on 14 July 1868 in Washington New Hall in County Durham, to a wealthy family whose riches ensured her education and enabled her travels. This was not Bell’s first trip—she had warmed up in 1899—taking a year’s jaunt around the Near East, grooming her love for the Arab peoples. It presents new research that uncovers Bell’s little-known leadership of the northern branch of the Anti-Suffrage League, in the context of recent debates surrounding the various motivations women had to become involved in the fight against political equality. The girl received a good home education and at the age of 15 she entered Oxford College, where she was one of the best students. He was a wealthy mill owner whilst her grandfather was the industrialist, Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, also a … The British intelligence bureau in Cairo hired her as an advisor on Arabia. St. Gertrude the Great School. On this and other journeys she undertook into the Arabian hinterlands, her admirable command of Arabic proved essential in opening doors, lowering barriers, and winning trust. Many women campaigned for both, while others, such as the writer Gertrude Bell, felt that education had to come first, so that when granted the vote, women would be well enough educated to use it wisely. He married Mary Shield, but she died three weeks after Bell’s younger brother, Maurice, was born. Gertrude Bell had worked in the British administration of Iraq, and her personal perspective on the transitional period, from the countries in Europe and in the Ottoman Empire before World War I until 1926 is captured in this collection. Her family had risen over three generations from being Cumbrian sheep farmers to becoming innovative, successful (and hence very wealthy) colliers and ironmasters with progressive attitudes. Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) was the best known traveler in the Middle East and Arabia in the years before World War I. There are 29 students in the class. History was one of the few subjects women were allowed to study, due to the many restrictions imposed on them at […] She was at one time the most powerful woman in the British Empire: a nation builder, the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq. Gertrude Bell (1868 - 1926) EDUCATION: 1. She was a fearless trailblazer who spurned the comforts of Victorian England for a life of adventure and accomplishment, including extensive exploration through uncharted Arabia in the uneasy last days of the Ottoman Empire. The school was founded in 1848 and Bell attended in 1884. Gertrude Bell was born on 14 July 1868 in Washington New Hall, County Durham, England, into a wealthy family of ironmasters. Gertrude Bell: formative years. Bell foresaw endless struggle and war – and what she saw in France, the fear and the grief and the pain … It … Gertrude Bell had moxie oozing out of her every pore. Currently, the best book on Gertrude Bell is Liora Lukitz’s A Quest in the Middle East: Gertrude Bell and the Making of Iraq (London: I.B. Gertrude spoke six languages beyond her native English (Arabic, Persian, French, German, Turkish, and Italian). Her mother died shortly after the birth of her younger brother in 1871, and her father remarried five years later. Gertrude Bell : biography 14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926 Gertrude Bell received her early education from Queen’s College in London and then later at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University at age 17. She and her younger brother grew up in the Bronx in New York where they enjoyed playing in the large parks and visiting Bronx Zoo. Effigies of female scholars were burnt in the streets of Cambridge, and fireworks thrown in … This book seeks to re-evaluate the life and legacy of Gertrude Lowthian Bell (1868–1926), the renowned scholar, explorer, writer, archaeologist and British civil servant. Florence Bell's activities with the wives of ironworkers in Eston, near Middlesbrough, may have helped influence her step-daughter's later stance promoting education of Iraqi women. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was born on the 14th July 1868 in Washington Hall (Dame Margaret's). Gertrude B. Elion, American pharmacologist who, along with George H. Hitchings and Sir James W. Black, received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988 for their development of drugs used to treat several major diseases. 12 July, 2016 marks 90 years since the death of Gertrude Bell.. As grand reopenings go, it may … And her father Hugh Bell continued the family business. [4] Gertrude Bell received her early education from Queen's College in London and then later at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University at age 17. T his piece was published on 21 February, 2014. Gertrude Bell's family of industrial pioneers did not just give her status, but money and support too. Gertrude was officially inducted into the British Army and was the only female British Army officer in the Middle East in World War I. Gertrude Bell and T E Lawrence did their best, whilst disagreeing over fundamental issues such as the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine. She graduated with first class honors in modern history from Oxford University in 1887. Gertrude Bell was born on 14 July 1868 in Washington, County Durham, destined to become what many believe to have been the greatest woman of her time. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, spy and archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her knowledge and contacts, built up through extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Office Hours. Her grandfather was the wealthy industrialist, company director and Liberal MP, Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell FRS. Gertrude Bell : Baghdad Jews 'a great power some day' Sometimes described as a female Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell was a British intelligence officer in the Middle East at the turn of the last century and architect of the modern kingdom of Iraq, which came under British control after the defeat of the Ottomans. Elion was the daughter of … 6824 Toler Avenue Bell Gardens, California 90201 Phone: (562) 927-1216 Fax: (562) 927-5607. Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was born on July 14, 1868 in what is now Dame Margaret Hall on The Avenue in Washington Village, the daughter of local bigwig Sir Hugh Bell and his wife Mary. Her education, broad interests, and family connections and support helped prepare her for her extraordinary career. After the war, she was very involved in the political negotiations that divided the Arab world into new countries and established British political influence in the region.

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