Margery Fry (given name Sara Margery Fry, 1874-1957) was the descendant of a large and notable Quaker family of chocolate manufacturers and philanthropists. Her great-aunt was Elizabeth Fry, the 19th century prison reformer. Margery’s father was a high court judge and her siblings included Joan, a social reformer, Anna, a pacifist, and Roger, artist, critic and member of the Bloomsbury Group.
Margery came up to Somerville in 1894 to study mathematics, although (at the request of her parents) she took no examinations. At college, Margery was a member of The Associated Prigs, a student society which met weekly to discuss ‘social subjects’, such as the disestablishment of the church and criminal punishment; a founding member was Eleanor Rathbone, who would go on to become the first Oxford woman elected to Parliament and architect of the Family Allowance Act.
In 1897, Margery Fry left Somerville and, in 1899, was asked to return to take up the position of college librarian. She was in post until 1904, overseeing the construction of the college library, and, on leaving, she was elected a member of Somerville’s Council. She became Warden of University House in Birmingham, a position she held until 1913. During the First World War, she worked for the Friends’ War Victims Relief Mission in France. After the war, she commenced her life’s work on penal reform, as Secretary to the Howard League on Penal Reform. She also served on the University Grants Committee from 1919 to 1948 and in 1921, she was appointed one of the first women magistrates.
Margery Fry returned to Somerville in 1926 as its 4th Principal. Her impact on the college and its students was considerable – on her appointment it was recounted that the JCR ‘had heard the new Principal was an authority on food reform and prison reform, and these were the two things Somerville needed ’ – however, she found many aspects of life in the university irksome, and was only in office for 5 years. She continued her work on penal reform, served on numerous committees and continued campaigning, as a broadcaster and public speaker.
Contents and provenance
The Margery Fry Collection comprises materials covering all aspects of her life, including correspondence with family and friends, travel journals, photographs and manuscripts of her writings and broadcasts. It was given to the college in 2006 by Margery Fry’s great-niece.
Using the collection
The finding aid can be found here. To consult the collection, please complete the application form found on the library and archives website here.
Limitations on use
Margery Fry’s works are still in copyright; unpublished works (such as personal correspondence) will remain in copyright until the end of 2039.
