The Magnificent Seven

When York St John first opened its doors in May 1841, it opened them only for male students and continued to do so for more than 120 years, until 1962 when seven women were admitted for the first time.

Joan, Diana, Barbara, Jennifer, Valerie, Louise, and Mary (shown from left to right) were dubbed the ‘Magnificent Seven’ because, according to a college tutor at the time, ‘they had settled down so magnificently as the first women students among 450 men’. Between them they laid down the foundations for every woman who followed them to study at York St John; the following year 80 women were offered places.

College Principal at the time, Cannon Phillip Lamb, foresaw at least one advantage from the new intake: ‘Perhaps the most difficult, and also the most worthwhile task we have set ourselves is to reaffirm the best values we have exhibited as a men’s college and in this different medium where two sexes work together; I shall be disappointed if our academic standards do not rise quite sharply…’.  He was not disappointed; the first six women to sit final examinations for the certificate registered six ‘A’ grades between them and Mary Procter was the year’s top student out of a total of 173 candidates.

The Magnificent Seven’s didn’t just have a positive impact on the academic results, according to Cannon Lamb choral and dramatic activities were also transformed.

Beyond the Vote Festival, 6-8 July 2018

As part of the Beyond the Vote festival taking place at York St John from 6-8 July, we are delighted to welcome back on of the original seven, Barbara Holmes who will be sharing her stories and experiences of what it was like to be one of the first women to study at York St John.

Barbara will share her stories and memories in a live interview with fellow alumnus Peter Monether (’74) on Friday 6 July at 14:30. If you would like to come along and hear from Barbara we would delighted to see you! You can register from this free event through our website.

If you would like to find out more about the Beyond the Vote festival including other sessions that are scheduled over the three days, you can find more information on our website.