foi enquiries further information - right to review ... · annie lennox 2006' harlaw academy...

From: Foi EnquiriesTo:Subject: FOI-16-1525 - PlaquesDate: 19 December 2016 09:12:42Attachments: Further Information - Right to Review & Appeal.pdf

FOI-16-1525- Spreadsheet.xlsxFOI-16-1525 - Alexander Ogston_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - annie quibell_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Bella Walker Elsie Moffat_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Dr Agnes Thomson_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Emma Valentine_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - GS McLennan 19.7.2016_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Harriet Warrack_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - isabella fyvie mayo_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Kelby_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Madam Murray.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Maggie Myles_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - nan shepherd_Redacted.pdfFOI-16-1525 - Nora Griffith_Redacted.pdf

Dear , Thank you for your information request of 18 November 2016. Aberdeen City Council (ACC) hascompleted the necessary search for the information requested.

Please can you supply me with details of all nominations submitted in the last 10 years bymembers of the public and / or council members and officials for commemorative plaques tobe erected. Include where possible: the name of the nomineeany historical information supplied to demonstrates the importance of the person beingnominated (with sources)any proposed location for the plaqueevidence that any living relatives of the nominee approve of the nomination and a writtenoffer of sponsorship for the full costs of the plaque.whether the nomination was accepted andwhether the plaque has been erected.Please see attached spreadsheet and relevant attachments. ACC is unable to provide you with information on the third parties contained within the attachedapplications as it is exempt from disclosure. In order to comply with its obligations under theterms of Section 16 of the FOISA, ACC hereby gives notice that we are refusing your requestunder the terms of Section 38(1)(b) in conjunction with 38(2)(a)(i) – of the FOISA. In making this decision ACC considered the following points: ACC is of the opinion that Section 38(1)(b) applies to the information specified above as theinformation in question is personal information relating to living individuals, of which theapplicant is not the data subject. Further, ACC is of the opinion that Section 38(2)(a)(i) applies, as we consider that disclosure ofthis information would be a breach of the first Data Protection Principle (that personalinformation must be processed fairly and lawfully). ACC believes releasing this information will

allow the identification of individuals, something which these individuals have not consented to,and would have no expectation that ACC would release. We hope this helps with your request. Yours sincerely, Grant WebsterInformation Compliance Officer INFORMATION ABOUT THE HANDLING OF YOUR REQUEST ACC handled your request for information in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom ofInformation (Scotland) Act 2002. Please refer to the attached PDF for more information aboutyour rights under FOISA. Information Compliance TeamCommunications and PromotionOffice of Chief ExecutiveAberdeen City CouncilRoom 1-24Town HouseBroad StreetABERDEEN AB10 1AQ

[email protected] 01224 523827/523602

Tel 03000 200 292 *03000 numbers are free to call if you have ‘free minutes’ included in your mobile call plan.Calls from BT landlines will be charged at the local call rate of 10.24p per minute (the same as 01224s).

www.aberdeencity.gov.uk

Name of NomineeWhen the

application was made

Proposed Location

What the proposal was (i.e. a new

bench with a plaque on it, fixing a plaque

to an existing tree etc.)

The full message that was to appear on the

plaqueAccepted Plaque Erected Reason for rejection. Note

James Clerk Maxwell 2014 131 Union Street

Replace existing non‐standard plaque with round Institute of Physics plaque

(national scheme)

Institute of Physics James Clerk Maxwell 1831‐1879 Pioneering physicist of

electromagnetic radiation, molecular science and

colourimetry lived in this building from 1856 to 1860

while Professor at Marischal College, later the University of Aberdeen

In Progress In Progress

Helen Young 2015 24 View terraceRound

Commemorative Plaque

Yes NoNo permission from owner of

premises.In Progress

Nan Shepherd 2016503 North Deeside Road, Cults or St Andrews Street

Round Commemorative

PlaqueIn Progress In Progress

Harriet Warrack 2016 2 Queen's GateRound



Annie Quibell 2016 13 Bon accord SquareRound



G S McLennan 2016 2 Bath StreetRound


George Stewart McLennan Pipe Major & Composer Worked in this building


Nora Griffith 2016 Kings CollegeRound



Isabella Fyvie Mayo 2016 78 Don StreetRound


In Progress

This application was unsuccessful due to insufficient detail in

application. Applicant failed to respond to request for

clarification.

Dr Agnes Thomson 2016 13 Albert TerraceRound



Caroline Agnes Isabella Phillips

2016 13 View TerraceRound



William McGillivray 2016 107 High StreetRound


Yes

Technically a resiting as original location was in error due to renumbering of

street.

Margaret Myles 2016 Aberdeen Maternity HospitalRound


Margaret Myles Pioneer author and lecturer in midwifery trained and worked in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital


Betsy ‐ Elizabeth Stewart ‐ Kelbie

30‐Jul‐14Fountain Public House, Great

Northern Road

Round Commemorative

Plaque

In Loving Memory to Betsy ‐Elisabeth Stewart ‐ Kelbie. Our Loving Mother Our

Voice. Killed Here By Lorry Driver 1934‐1976 Aged 42

No No

Deemed to be a memorial rather than commemorative plaque.

Does not meet the current criteria for commemorative plaques, namely not of national or

international standing or of such outstanding local importance as to

deserve a plaque.

This application was returned as it was considered to be

more suitable for as a memorial plaque.

Bella Walker & Elsie Moffat

07‐Mar‐16 The Lemon Tree, AberdeenRound


No wording proposed at time of application, plaque to Bella Walker & Elsie

Moffat

No No

Does not meet the current criteria for commemorative plaques,

insufficient evidence of a national or international significance

Applicant intends to enhance and resubmit

Emma Valentine

07‐Mar‐16 Aberdeen Central LibraryRound


No wording proposed at time of application, plaque

to Emma ValentineNo No

Does not meet the current criteria for commemorative plaques,

insufficient evidence of national standing or outstanding local

importance

Applicant intends to enhance and resubmit

Madame Murray 08‐Aug‐08

Cowdray Hall or 5 West Craibstone Street

Round Commemorative

Plaque

No wording proposed at time of application

Yes NoNo permission from owner of

premises.

Alexander Ogston 2007

Amicable House, 252 Union Street

Round Commemorative

Plaque

Possible wording: Sir Alexander Ogston (1844‐

1929) Eminent Surgeon and Scientist lived in a house on this site from 1870 to 1929

Unknown Unknown

Michael Sheard2006' 7 Carlton Place

Round Commemorative

Plaque

No wording proposed at time of application

No NoOwner of the premesis rejected

nomination.

Jacobite Uprising

2015'

17 Castle Street, Portals Bar

Court Plaque

To commemorate the pivotal role played by Aberdeen and the North east in the Jacobite Risings. In the Castlegate in 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie was toasted as King.

Yes Yes Not yet added to ACC

website

Reginald Victor Jones 2014' 8 Queens Terrace

Round Commemorative

PlaqueYes Yes

Awaiting biography from applicant for adding to ACC

website.

Agnes Thomson 2015' 13 Albert Street

Round Commemorative

Plaque

No wording proposed at time of application, plaque

to Emma ValentineIn progress In progress

Annie Lennox 2006' Harlaw Academy

Round Commemorative

Plaque No No

Does not meet the current criteria for commemorative plaques in that person in question must be

deceased.Proposal to erect a new plaque to commemorate and draw attention to the important and historic Elm trees on Osborne Place. These are a Golden Leaf variety of English Elm Tree (Ulmus procera 'Vanhouttei') which were first planted in 1936. Nationally these trees are very rare because of Dutch Elm disease. c. 2009 2 Osbourne Place

Non standard ‐ rectangular plaque with raised gold

lettering on a black background

No

No permission from owner of premises.

Sugarhouse Lane 2008? Sugarhouse Lane

Court Plaque

Sugar House Lane In 1776 a Sugar House was established Here, where raw sugar from the Americas was refined for resale. This was one of several businesses in Aberdeen which were involved in the trans‐Atlantic trade of slave produced goods. Sugar House Lane was eventually formed in the ground which once belonged to the Sugar House Company. City of Aberdeen Yes Yes

Your Details Title: Ms

Name:

Address: House Number/ Name: Street: City: Aberdeen Postcode:

Telephone Number:

E‐Mail Address: @aberdeencity.gov.uk

Organisation (if representing one): Aberdeen Women’s Alliance

Position in that organisation: members

Has consent been sought from any living relatives of the nominee? (please tick):

Yes No

If yes please provide evidence attached to your application, if no please seek approval prior to submitting this form.

What is your interest in the nominee? Egyptology

Funding for plaques must come from an individual or group/ organisation. Has funding been secured for this proposed plaque?

Yes

If yes please provide evidence attached to your application, if no please secure funding prior to submitting this form.

Nominee Details Full Name: Annie Quibell (nee Pirie)

Date of Birth: 15th December 1851

Date of Death : (all nominees must be deceased)

1927

Occupation: Egyptologist

Brief Biography of the nominee: Annie Abernethie Quibell (nee Pirie) the daughter of an Aberdeen academic William Robinson. Born 15 December 1851. She studied as an artist and had extensive training and experience including exhibiting in the Royal Scottish Academy. Annie mainly worked in pastels and oil paints. Annie then moved to London to further her fascination with ancient Egypt. There Annie became one of Flinders Petrie’s early students with her much older artist Rosalind Paget. Annie travelled to Egypt to work as a copyist for Petrie at Saqqara in 1895. She made drawings and sketches of the reliefs and the sites themselves. During the season in Egypt Annie met Petries assistant James Edward Quibell. They worked together on three digs at Thebes at Ramesseum, El Kab and the Hierakonpolis. Annie and James married at Sunnybank house in Aberdeen 6th Sept. 1900. Annie’s husband was then the inspector of Antiquities in Egypt so the couple moved there. Her work there was to document and protect antiquities as well as the sites. Though she held no official position Annie did most of the work. Life on site suited Annie from the outset. In her own words “of all the different dwelling places, give me, for choice, if not too long a time, a good tomb. In 1904 Annie and her husband contributed to the Egyptian exhibition for the world’s fair in St Louis. Annie was credited with most of the work, on the displays instillation. The display included three life‐size recreated scenes of Ancient Egyptian Life. After this she spent a year at Luxor and helped discover two tombs. They then spent eight years of hard work at Sakkara during which Annie made most of the drawings both in line and colour of the site and wall reliefs. These were published in her husband’s reports of the excavations. Annie went on to publish five books on the subject, A Wayfarer in Egypt, Some Notes on Egyptian History and Art, The Pyramids of Giza, The Tomb of Sakkara and a

Guide to the Cairo Museum. Annie was also very interested in many forms of social work and she was president of the Cairo YWCA. It says in her obituary “It is largely due to her practical sympathy and administrative genius that this body has of recent years accomplished such excellent work” Annie died from Leukaemia in 1927 at Cambridge

Reasons for nomination The following requirements should be met: i) That the nominated person is worthy of commemoration ii) That they are of national or international standing or of such outstanding local importance as to deserve a plaque. iii) They should be regarded either within their profession as eminent or be recognisable to the well‐informed passer by.

Annie Pirie Quibell lives on, though, in the archives of the Griffith Institute, the Egypt Exploration Society and the Petrie Museum, through which scholars are now becoming increasingly aware of her contributions to Egyptology and archaeology.

Please provide any additional reference materials regarding this nominee:

The Times Archive Website Trowel Blazers Scotland’s People Nekhen News University of Aberdeen

Proposed location of the plaque: 13 Bon Accord Square Aberdeen AB11 6DJ

Reasons for this location: This is where she was born.


Name:


Telephone Number:


Organisation (if representing one): AWA

Position in that organisation: Members


Yes No


What is your interest in the nominee? Pioneering women in Girls/Youth Work These ladies were fundamental in opening the first social club in Aberdeen. Initially for girls only and later recognised the need in the community to offer a club for women and men.


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Miss Bella Walker & Miss Elsie Moffat

Date of Birth: 1887 & 1894


27th May 1962 & 29th December 1985

Occupation: Founder Members of St Katherine’s Club

Brief Biography of the nominee: St Katherine’s Club was originally set up in October 1917 for working class girls to have a comfortable meeting place away from the crowded and dismal conditions of their homes during WW1. Held in two rooms in a tenement in the Shiprow the club was founded by Miss Bella Walker and Miss Elsie Moffat and they provided an environment which was at once domestic, educational and recreational. They offered classes in home craft, art and craft, drama and literature, and physical education. The club grew to a membership of over 500 until it moved to the purpose built YWCA building (now the Lemon Tree) at 5 West North Street in 1937. It continued to grow and evolved as the needs arose. The club had varying groups and activities over the years, progressing and changing as the needs arose. 1939 –1945 saw the admittance of men and women from the forces. In 1946 –1947 Community Centre was added to the name. In the 1960s there was a greater awareness of adolescent social and personal issues and the ‘Open Club’ was set up.

A quote from a former member of the club says ‘ they were a great influence in my life and in the lives of many others


These ladies were Pioneers in the setting up the first Girl Club /Youth Work in Aberdeen/Scotland

Started in 1917 until they retired in 1952. Club went on until its closure in 1985

Miss Walker & Miss Moffat made an immense contribution to the quality of life in Aberdeen. Who helped make St Katherine’s the organisation it was – a resolute guide to good citizenship and a brighter future. Their legacy lives on through a trust that was set up from the sale of the club and a committee still meet annually and give financial support to youth clubs/initiatives.


“ Education Through Recreation” A History of St. Katherine’s Club and Community Centre 1917 to 1985

Proposed location of the plaque: Lemon Tree Building

Reasons for this location: These ladies were two of the founder Members of this club and organised much of the fundraising for this purpose built building for the running of this Successful Established Club.


Name:

Address: House Number/ Name:

Street: City: Aberdeen Postcode:

Telephone Number:


Organisation (if representing one): Aberdeen Women’s Alliance (AWA)

Position in that organisation: Member


Yes


What is your interest in the nominee? Aberdeen Women’s Alliance wish to nominate Dr Agnes Thomson in recognition of her devoted services to the city of Aberdeen. She was Anaesthetist, Lecturer and General Practitioner at Children’s hospital in Castle St. One of the 1st women in Aberdeen to gain 3 Degrees, One of the Founder members of setting up a Mother and Baby Home. Other organisations of which she gave her devoted service were St Katherine’s Community Centre, Soroptomists.


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Dr Agnes Thomson (nee Baxter)

Date of Birth: 13 05 1880


08 12 1952

Occupation: Anaesthetist, Lecturer and General Practitioner

Brief Biography of the nominee: Agnes Thomson (nee Baxter) was born in Brechin 13 May

1880. She was Dux of Brechin High School and was one of the first women at Aberdeen University to graduate in arts, medicine and science M.A., 1902; B.Sc, 1905; M.B., 1907. Agnes was awarded the Fife Jamieson Medal for serving as M.O During WW1. She was appointed as Anaesthetist and Lecturer at Aberdeen Sick Children’s and Maternity Hospital situated at Castle Terrace, Aberdeen 1916 ‐ 1919.

Ref: Aberdeen University Library

She was instrumental in founding the Aberdeen Mother and Baby Home, as she was aware of the desperate need for a home for unmarried mothers in Aberdeen. She also volunteered her services to the Mother and Child Welfare Association, which was established to address the shockingly high death rate of babies and toddlers in the east end of Aberdeen. Ref: Evening Express 19/9/1999

1925 Aberdeen Children’s Shelter was opened on the first floor at 38 Castle Street, Aberdeen. This was set up to care for children whose mothers were ill or in hospital. It also provided care for lost children until reclaimed. The local paper Evening Express raised £2400 through an appeal to convert and equip the premises. Number of children that were cared for in the first 18 months was 1,278. Homeless mothers and children on remand from courts were also accommodated.

She worked tirelessly campaigning and writing letters to the council appealing for better housing being fully aware many of her patients were living in slum conditions and that this was unacceptable for their health and wellbeing.

Agnes was Chairman of Aberdeen branch of the Women Association and in April 1945, she was elected president of the Scottish Council of Women Citizens’ Association

Aberdeen Mother and Baby home moved from Castle Street to Richmond Hill House, Aberdeen

In WW 11 Agnes disregarded her own safety to help others. She was a Medical Officer at the Torry First Aid Post on walker road. “When everyone else was scurrying for shelter, she would make her way through the flak to Walker Road in case she was needed.”


Agnes Thomson is on the Aberdeen University Roll of

Honour. Awarded Fife Jamieson Medal Founder member of the Mother & Baby Home Medical Office Service in WW 11 air raid post at Walker

Road GP from 1912 – 1929 499 Union St and 1929 ‐1946 13

Albert Street, Aberdeen thereafter she retired. Dr Agnes Thomson was also very involved supporting the work at St Katherine’s Community Centre, The Soroptimists, and the Aberdeen Old People’s welfare council.

Agnes was president of the Aberdeen branch of the Medical Women’s Federation, and was elected president of the Scottish Council of Women Citizens Association in 1945.


University of Aberdeen Special Collection Post Office Directories Evening Express & Press & Journal Archives

Proposed location of the plaque: 13 Albert Street Aberdeen

Reasons for this location: Her niece who is now in her 90’s and worked with Agnes said this was her happiest years when she worked there.


Name:

Address:

House Number/ Name: Street: City: Aberdeen Postcode:

Telephone Number:





Yes No


What is your interest in the nominee? Recognition of her contribution to the Library Services in Aberdeen


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Miss Emma Valentine

Date of Birth: 5th October 1858


30th May 2015

Occupation: Librarian

Brief Biography of the nominee: Emma Valentine was born in Aberdeen on 5 October 1858. Although we have no information about her early years we know her father James was a well know public figure serving latterly as Registrar who encouraged her love of books through his own works on music and statistics.

Emma Valentine was appointed to the position of Senior Assistant in the Reference Department commencing 1 September 1890 on a salary of £50 per anum. At the time the public library was located in the former Mechanics Institute in Market Street before moving to the new Central Library on Rosemount Viaduct in 1892 when she became “Assistant in Charge” of the newly opened Reference Library. Known as “Miss Valentine” her career in the library service spanned 25 years before her unexpected death on 30 May 1915. She went into hospital in October 1914 to undergo an operation but sadly never returned to the Library. She is buried in Allenvale Cemetery.

The sad news of her death came as a shock to many readers in Aberdeen and a number of tributes appeared in the Aberdeen Daily Journal. Here are just a few extracts which clearly demonstrate she was very highly thought of and respected and customer care was foremost in her approach.

“Her helpfulness and courtesy was of first importance”

“To all who frequented the reference department during the long winter evenings and the “wet” Saturdays when the place was crowded Miss Valentine was a familiar figure with a wide and extensive knowledge of the Reference stock. It will not be quite the same without her kindly presence”.

“In her capacity of assistant librarian she was well‐known and highly esteemed by the public ‐ for she was

devoted to her duties and ever ready to exert herself to the utmost in the service of the library”

Miss Valentine shared City Librarian G.M. Fraser’s enthusiasm for local history and contributed much to the compilation of the Local Catalogue. It took 2 years to compile and consisted of an alphabetical listing of books, pamphlets and maps including an appendix of over 200 paintings, engravings and photographs. It was published in 1914 and sold for sixpence. Her lasting legacy is that current Local Studies staff still have occasion to refer to the original printed catalogue to check an item.

It was suggested that a portrait of her would grace the walls of the Reference Department where she so conscientiously served and diligently laboured for the benefit of the citizens of Aberdeen. Unfortunately that never happened and although we have a photograph of the Library staff in 1890 we cannot positively identify Emma Valentine.

Miss Valentine was one of many women who held senior positions in the Library service throughout the years and in many ways whilst they did not achieve the standing and recognition accorded to the City Librarian their contribution is deservedly acknowledged. From 1884 until 2007 the head of the library service in Aberdeen was male dominated until the appointment of

as Library & Information Services Manager.



A few extracts which clearly demonstrate she was very highly thought of and respected and customer care was foremost in her approach.

“Her helpfulness and courtesy was of first importance”

“To all who frequented the reference department during the long winter evenings and the “wet” Saturdays when the place was crowded Miss Valentine was a familiar figure with a wide and extensive knowledge of the Reference stock. It will not be quite the same without her kindly presence”.

“In her capacity of assistant librarian she was well‐known and highly esteemed by the public ‐ for she was devoted to her duties and ever ready to exert herself to the utmost in the service of the library”



Service Development Manager Aberdeen Central Library

Proposed location of the plaque: Aberdeen Central Library

Reasons for this location: Place of Work


Name:

Address: House Number/ Name: Street City: Aberdeen Postcode:

Telephone Number: 0


Organisation (if representing one): Aberdeen Woman’s Alliance



Yes No


What is your interest in the nominee? Prolific Poet and Novelist Women's Political and Social Union campaigner


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Isabella Fyvie Mayo



13th May 1914

Occupation: Poet & Author

Brief Biography of the nominee: Isabella Fyvie Mayo was a Scottish Poet and Novelist who wrote under the pen name of Edward Garrett. Although she spent most of her life living in Aberdeen, she was born in London in 1843 to Scottish Parentage. Isabella was privately educated at a girl’s school near Covent Garden. When her father died and his bakery business declined the family were left with debts, Isabella spent a few years in a variety of low paid employment to help pay off the debt which she credited as giving her: “amass of knowledge, both of facts and different ways of looking at them, and of human nature generally” – life’s greatest lessons are taught outside the classroom. In 1867 Isabella was given a chance to write a series of essays for the Sunday Magazine due to a contributor pulling out at the last minute. She had only three days to write her first monthly instalment and was engaged for another serial soon after. She was also a pioneering translator of Tolstoy and became not only his friend but was also friends with Mahatma Gandhi. She became an ethical anarchist, pacifist, anti‐imperialist, anti‐racist and suffragette campaigner. In 1894 she was elected a member of the Aberdeen School Board, the first women elected to any public board in Aberdeen.


Scottish Poet and Novelist First woman elected to a public board in Aberdeen Isabella Mayo was one of the pioneering translators of Tolstoy into English Women's Political and Social Union campaigner


Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Heilman.pdf ‐ OpenAIR @ RGU ‐ Robert Gordon University Post office directory census

Proposed location of the plaque: 1) Bishop Gate 78 Don Street, Aberdeen 2) 2 Firhill Place Aberdeen 1881 Census 3) 1 Albyn Place, Aberdeen 1891 Census

Reasons for this location: Was her home address from

Madame Isabel Murray was an iconic figure for teenagers growing up in Aberdeen in the middle years of the twentieth century. Ballroom dancing was a very important activity at the time and parents realised that their children would be at a disadvantage if they grew up not knowing how to perform competently on a dance floor. They enlisted the help of Madame Murray who, not only taught them how to dance but by example and authority fostered a culture of good manners and respect among the many young people with whom she came in contact. The Saturday Night Dance Club in the Cowdray Hall, which she started in 1937 and which continued long after her retirement in 1963 was for a great many Senior Secondary School pupils, the highlight of the week and was eagerly anticipated. Madame Murray started teaching eurhythmics in the primary department at Robert Gordon’s College in 1925 but she is best remembered for her dance classes and dance club. She was a major benefactress to her home city and was responsible for the Garden for the Blind (now the Garden for the Disabled) in the Victoria Park, for which she organised a major fund-raising exercise. She also made many other bequests for the benefit of Aberdeen and especially for its poorer and disadvantaged citizens. Recent events have brought her name to the fore again – as by chance has the revival of interest in ballroom dancing. Following discussion with a significant number of people, it is felt that her contribution to the City and its citizens has never been fully recognised and it is now proposed to erect a commemorative plaque in her memory. There are two possible locations for a plaque: 1. Somewhere near the entrance to the Cowdray Hall, where she spent so many years teaching and organising 2. Madame Murray occupied the property at 5 West Craibstone Street from 1913 until 1922 and was responsible for the extension to the rear of the property which she used as a dance studio. It has been suggested that the West Wall of the building (facing on to Bon Accord Terrace) would be an appropriate location for this plaque to be placed.


Name:


Telephone Number: 0





Yes


What is your interest in the nominee? Her contribution to midwifery and the Publication of her Groundbreaking Book Textbook for Midwives: With Modern Concepts of Obstetrics and Neo‐Natal Care Book has been translated into many other languages and is recognised as the leading international textbook for midwives.


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Margaret (Maggie) Fraser Myles (nee Findlay)



15th February 1988

Occupation: Midwife and Author

Brief Biography of the nominee: Myles [née Findlay], Margaret Fraser [Maggie] (1892-1988), midwife, was born at 52 Spital, Aberdeen, on 30 December 1892, the daughter of Robert Fraser Findlay, journeyman house painter, and his wife, Mary, nee McDougall. Her father was a native of Aberdeen; her mother, who had been brought up in Selkirk in the Scottish borders, is believed to have been in domestic service before her marriage. Margaret Findlay spent her childhood in Aberdeen but emigrated from Scotland to Canada soon after leaving school and became engaged to a Canadian farmer, Charles James Myles (d. 1920). He was an officer in the Canadian army during the First World War, and while he was in France she trained as a nurse at Yorktown, Saskatchewan. They were married in 1919 and their son Ian was born in the following year. In that same year Charles Myles died and Margaret was left a widow with an infant son. Myles returned to her parental home in Aberdeen and decided to train as a midwife and then to practise as a district nurse in and around the Aberdeenshire village of Alford. In 1924 her son died of pneumonia and she left Alford and went to repeat her nursing training at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. She then returned to Canada, undertook an education course at McGill University, and subsequently worked in Philadelphia and Detroit as director of midwifery education. Around 1935 she had heard that a new maternity hospital was being built in Edinburgh and she decided this was where she would like to practise as a midwifery tutor. She therefore returned to the UK and took a midwifery teacher's diploma in London and in 1939, when the Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion was opened in Edinburgh, she was appointed midwifery tutor, a post she held for seventeen years. Myles retired in 1954, the year after the publication of the first edition of her Textbook for Midwives. Before that she had contributed articles to professional journals in the UK, Canada, and the USA on midwifery and education, and had written a book on the care of babies for schoolchildren. Aware of the limited range of books available for midwifery education, she was commissioned by an altruistic Edinburgh publisher to write a textbook that would fill the gap. It quickly became a best-seller for the author and for Churchill Livingstone, the publishing house. As midwifery tutor she was always known as Mrs Myles, but through her textbook she became a household name, at least in maternity hospitals, as Maggie Myles, the author of the book that for some thirty years informed maternity practice and was used by midwives and

medical students alike. In her lifetime ten different editions of the textbook were published, there were twenty reprints, and it was translated into five different languages, including Japanese. In 1985 it was said that the book was on sale in every country of the world except Russia, and at that time sixty per cent of the sales were in America. As part of the seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations of the American Journal of Nursing, Myles's Textbook for Midwives was identified as its book of the year. Though Myles gave up her teaching and clinical responsibilities on her retirement, she remained very involved in midwifery and obstetric education and practice for many years. She did not hold sentimental links with past practices; she could remember the era when there was little or no antenatal care for pregnant women, and when maternal and infant mortality rates were so high that they represented a significant social problem. She was aware that well-trained and educated midwives were crucially important in lowering these mortality rates, and to this end she worked tirelessly, long into her retirement, ensuring that the information included in her textbook reflected current knowledge and developments. In Scotland she was a revered presence, but she travelled the world to promote the formal training of midwives and as a result became internationally known and respected as an authoritative lecturer on her chosen profession. Myles was not seriously interested or involved in the politics of her profession or in those of the National Health Service, and she turned down many offers of honours and honorary appointments. An exception was in 1978 when she was made an honorary fellow of the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society, an award she felt was appropriate to her career and professional interests, and one which very few midwives achieved. Myles was a strong personality and a memorable teacher. In retirement, while she pursued interests in pottery, painting, and writing romantic fiction, her real and abiding interest remained midwifery. She died on 15 February 1988 at the Hillside Nursing Home, Banchory, Kincardineshire, not far from the village of Alford where she had lived with her infant son and where she first practised as a midwife. She was cremated the same month at Aberdeen crematorium.

Reasons for nomination The following requirements should be met: i) That the nominated person is worthy of commemoration ii) That they are of national or international standing or of such outstanding local importance as to deserve a plaque. iii) They should be regarded either

An exemplary reflective practitioner An inspiration for lifelong learning She took continuous professional development to a whole new level, both within her field and internationally. Her ground breaking publication of Textbook for Midwives: With Modern Concepts of Obstetrics and

within their profession as eminent or be recognisable to the well‐informed passer by.

Neo‐natal Care.


Oxford National Dictionary of Biographies

Proposed location of the plaque: Aberdeen Maternity Hospital

Reasons for this location: Hospital Building representing her works.

Margaret Myles 1892 - 1988

Elder brother’s birth certificate -52 Spital

Birth certificate – 52 Spital

Sister’s birth certificate -54 Baker Street

1901 census – 54 Baker Street

1911 census – 54 Baker street

Travelled to Canada 1914

Margaret Fraser Findlay married Charles James Myles 30 June 1920 at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Husband died 30 July 1921.

Charles Ian Myles was four months old in Sept 1921

Returned to Scotland 1921.

Death of son – 52 Baker Street

Revisited Canada 1926 on the Melita. Father Robert Findlay, 52 Baker Street, Aberdeen.

In August 1934, Margaret F Myles, age 41, Director of Nurses, was sailing from Canada to Scotland. Her Scottish address is listed as 24 Keppleshire Ave, Aberdeen.

Mother’s death – Tough, Aberdeenshire


Name:


Telephone Number:


Organisation (if representing one): Aberdeen Woman’s Alliance (AWA)

Position in that organisation: member


Yes No


What is your interest in the nominee? Poet and Author who set her books in north east Scotland Recognition of a great Female Scottish Writer and Teacher


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Nan Shepherd

Date of Birth: 11th February 1893


27th February 1981

Occupation: Poet and Author who set her books in north east Scotland

Brief Biography of the nominee: Nan Shepherd was born in Cults, 3 miles west of Aberdeen. She was the daughter of John Shepherd, an engineer, and Jane Kelly. She attended Cults School and Aberdeen High School for Girls before studying at the University of Aberdeen. After graduating in 1915, she became a lecturer in English literature at the Aberdeen College of Education, a post she held until she retired in 1956. Throughout her life she continued to live at the family home in Cults. In 1928 she published The Quarry Wood. Written in Scots about a young women who fights for a University Education with vivid descriptions of the university that she cared very much for. Two more novels followed: The Weatherhouse in 1930 and A Pass in the Grampians in 1933. All three were highly acclaimed at the time, both in the UK and in the USA, and while their popularity since has ebbed and flowed, they remain amongst the classics of 20th Century Scottish Literature. Nan Shepherd continued to write reviews and articles, but she published no more novels. A collection of poetry, in the Cairngorms, appeared in 1934, in which she revealed her love of the mountains. This theme continued in her non‐fiction work Living Mountain: Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland and published in 1977, but had been written in the 1940s. After she retired, Nan Shepherd edited The Aberdeen University Review and was awarded an honorary degree by the university in 1964.

Reasons for nomination The following requirements should be met: i) That the nominated person is worthy of commemoration ii) That they are of national or international standing or of such outstanding local importance as to deserve a plaque. iii) They should be regarded either within their profession as eminent or

Her contribution to Scottish Literature. Some of her most famous books: The Living Mountain, a celebration of walking and living in the Cairngorms. The Quary Wood The Weatherhouse, It is a novel which explores the classic and eternal dramatic conflicts transformation and change, youth and age, spirit and substance are reconciled and balanced in the story of Jenny Kilgour.

be recognisable to the well‐informed passer by.

Nan Shepherd edited the Aberdeen University Review after her retirement, and gave great encouragement and support to other writers. In 1964, she was given an honorary degree from Aberdeen University.


www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk‐scotland‐3027748 Canongate Scottish Publishing House Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Proposed location of the plaque: House called Dunvegan 503 North Deeside Road Cults, Aberdeen

Reasons for this location: This is where she lived most of her life


Name:


Telephone Number:


Organisation (if representing one): Aberdeen Women’s Alliance



Yes No


What is your interest in the nominee? Egyptologist


Yes


Nominee Details Full Name: Mrs Nora Christina Cobban Griffith (nee Macdonald)

Date of Birth: 7th of December in 1870


21st October 1937

Occupation: Egyptologist

Brief Biography of the nominee: Nora was born just outside Aberdeen in the village of New Machar on the 7th of December in 1870. Her father Surgeon Major James Macdonald and mother Margaret Helen Lesley Collie were of some means. It was on a trip to Egypt in 1906 where Nora met Norman de Garis Davies, an English Egyptologist, who was at the time of the meeting the head of the Egypt Exploration Fund. This visit and meeting really sparked a fascination in Nora for Ancient Egypt and its relics.

Upon return to Scotland Nora become a conservator in the archaeological museum of king’s college Aberdeen. Nora went on to take courses on Egyptology at Oxford and was briefly a pupil of Francis Griffith. They married in 1909 when Nora was 39. By this time her husband already had a successful career in the Egyptology field. Nora then joined her husband in Egypt, Nubia and the Sudan. Nora studied Egyptian reliefs as well as taking photos, copying the hieroglyphs, and taking notes on wall inscriptions and art.

Nora herself had some articles published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology as well as Sudan Notes and Records, the first of which was published in 1923.

Francis died in 1935 and Nora made it her life’s mission to continue what he had started. In one of his works published after his death, “Demotic Graffiti in the Dodecaschoenus” 70 plates (coloured pages within the book) were drawn meticulously by her.

Nora went on to perfectly organise and finance further expeditions to Nubia and the Sudan, and is credited for collecting all in the Griffiths personal Egyptological library which was later transferred to the Ashmolean museum in Oxford in 1939. This provided the start of the Griffith Institute library.

Nora died at the age of 64 on October 21st 1937 after an operation to remove her appendix. Nora left most her estate which was combined with that of her husband to the University of Oxford. Their legacy consists of objects, books, documents, a considerable amount money. Money is intended to fulfil his

desire to create an institute dedicated to Egyptology. The exact amount left without accounting for inflation was £52029, “to furnish and endow a home for Egyptological study” .

The Griffith institute opened on January 21st 1939 and is now a world renowned centre for Egyptology research and study. Nora is at the core of the success and prestige of this foundation.

Nora not only had an effect on the world of Egyptology but on almost everyone that she met. A friend of the couple Sir Alan Gardiner said that he admired Nora’s deep intelligence and artistic talent, he also credits Nora for bringing her husband out of his shell. “He was withdrawn, reserved and with Nora, he "evolved" to great effect, no longer fearing to appear in society, going to dinners, practicing the sport”

Nora had an obituary in the times on October 25 h 1937. A small quote is: “ but if her academic activity was the admiration of her wide circle of friends at home and abroad, it was her hospitality, goodness, her wide sympathies, sense of humour and courage that gained their love.”


Upon return to Scotland Nora become a conservator in the archaeological museum of king’s college Aberdeen. Nora went on to take courses on Egyptology at Oxford and was briefly a pupil of Francis Griffith.

Nora went on further expeditions to Nubia and the Sudan, and is credited for collecting all in the Griffiths personal Egyptological library which was later transferred to the Ashmolean museum in Oxford in 1939.

The Griffith institute opened on January 21st 1939 and is now a world renowned centre for Egyptology research and study. Nora is at the core of the success and prestige of this foundation.


http://egyptophile.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/nora-griffith-fondatrice-du-griffith.html

https://theacaciahouse.wordpress.com/tag/nora-christina-cobban-griffith/

http://www.gizapyramids.org/pdf library/notes jea 23 1937.pdf

Proposed location of the plaque: Kings College Aberdeen

19-77 University Rd., Aberdeen AB24 3UB

Reasons for this location: Upon return to Scotland Nora become a conservator in the

archaeological museum of king’s college Aberdeen.

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