a history
Coronation Honours: … D.B.E. … Ellen Frances Pinsent, C.B.E., Late Senior Commissioner, Board of Control … …
[see also Western Morning News:
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Boy Scouts’ Fund: The Oxford County Appeal: A Further List of Subscribers: … (list includes) … Dame Ellen Pinsent … £1 1s 0d …
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Marriage of Mr. J. K. Rotherham and Miss Joan C. Penrose: Impressive Service at St. Mary’s Parish Church: The marriage was solemnized at Banbury Parish Church on Saturday afternoon of Mr. John Kewitt Rotherham, of the Royal Air Force, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ewan Rotherham, of Barford, Warwick, and Miss Joan Catherine Penrose, eldest daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Nevill Coghill Penrose, of South Bank Banbury. … (detailed description of wedding) … the guests included … Mrs. Hume Pinsent, … … Mr. B. Pinsent – gift liqueur glasses …
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
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First Woman on Council: One of the pioneer workers on behalf of the mentally defective visited the scene of her former labours this week and told an audience of Birmingham men and women something of the working of the Mental Deficiency Act, its achievements, and failures. She was Mrs. Pinsent, the first woman to be elected a member of Birmingham City Council. Mrs. Pinsent has been most keenly interested in work associated with mentally defectives and as long ago as 1900 because of her work in this connection was co-opted a member of the Special Schools under the old School Board. Later, in 1902, when the Birmingham Education Committee came into being she was appointed the chairman of the Special Schools Sub-Committee and retained that position until she left the city for London in 1913. It was she, I was informed by Miss E M Barling, who first pointed out the need for special after-care work, and it was because of her keen interest and outstanding knowledge that she was appointed of the Royal Commission which inquired into the care and control of the feeble-minded. FOUR YEARS’ INQUIRY: THIS commission sat for four years and heard in that time 300 witnesses representing all classes of the community. Only recently Mrs. Pinsent retired from her position as a commissioner of the Board of Control. Her knowledge of her subject is perhaps unequalled by any other woman in the country. The first Act for dealing with the mentally defectives in this country, it is interesting to recall, was introduced in the 14th century and was known as the Statute of Prerogatives dealing with “born fools, and persons of unsound mind, with certain periods of understanding.” But this only concerned persons with property. It was not until 1743 the first Act was passed dealing with pauper lunatics. By this Act, two justices could order a dangerous lunatic to be locked up and chained, if necessary.
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Early Diagnosis and Training: Cure of Feeble-Minded: The Mental Deficiency Act, what it has achieved and its failures, were dealt with by Mrs. Ellen Pinsent formerly one of the Commissioners of the Board of Control in an address she delivered in Birmingham yesterday. At the present time, she declared, there were far more mentally defective children in the elementary schools of the country than there were in the special schools. What the Act had failed to achieve was early diagnosis and training of feeble-minded children. It ought to be possible in some way or another, she said, to bridge the gulf between the local education committee and the local committee dealing with mentally defectives. The great work of the future seemed to be the establishment of co-operation with the Education Committees, the Home Office Schools, Borstal Institutions, and prisons, with a view to inducing those authorities to adopt a uniform standard of notification, and to concentrate on early diagnosis and training.
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Board of Control: The King, on the recommendation of the Minister of Health, has approved the appointment of Miss Ruth Darwin as a senior commissioner of the Board of Control, in succession to Mrs. Ellen F. Pinsent. Mrs. Pinsent, who will retire on July 31, has had a long and distinguished career of public service. She served for many years on the Birmingham Education Committee and on the City Council and was a member of the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feeble-minded, 1904 to 1909. She was an honorary commissioner of the Board of Control from 1913 to 1920 and a commissioner from 1921 to 1930, and has been a senior commissioner since January 1, 1931, when the board was reconstituted under the Mental Treatment Act, 1930. Miss Darwin, granddaughter of Charles Robert Darwin, was an honorary commissioner from 1920 to 1930, and has been a commissioner since January 1, 1931. She is a member of the committee recently appointed to consider certain issues arising in connection with the sterilisation of the mentally unfit. While we welcome Miss Darwin’s appointment as one of the senior commissioners of the Board of Control, we again urge the necessity of including a medical woman as a senior commissioner, just as we urge that a medical woman should be included in the recently appointed committee appointed to consider certain issues arising in connection with the sterilisation of the mentally unfit.
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Board of Control: Retirement of Mrs. E. F. Pinsent: The King, on the recommendation of the Minister of Health, has approved the appointment of Miss Ruth Darwin as a senior commissioner of the Board of Control in Succession to Mrs. Ellen F. Pinsent, C.B.E., Mrs. Pinsent, who will retire on 31st July, has had a long and distinguished career of public service. She served for many years on the Birmingham Education Committee and on the City Council and was a member of the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feeble minded, 1904 to 1909. She was an honorary commissioner of the Board of Control from 1913 to 1920, and a commissioner from 1921 to 1930, and has been a senior commissioner since 1st January 1931, when the board was recognised under the Mental Treatment Act, 1930. She represented the board on the Joint Committee on Mental Deficiency 1924 to 1929. She is an honorary M. A. of Birmingham University and was created C. B. E. in 1925.
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
The King, on the recommendation of the Minister of Health, has approved the appointment of Miss Ruth Darwin as senior Commissioner of the Board of Control in succession to Mrs. Ellen F. Pinsent, who retires on July 31st. and has had a distinguished career public service, including work on the Birmingham Education Committee and the City Council.
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Personal: Woman’s State Appointment: The King, on the recommendation of the Minister of Health, has approved the appointment of Miss Ruth Darwin as a senior commissioner of the Board of Control in succession to Mrs. Ellen F. Pinsent, who has had a long career of public service. Miss Darwin, who is a daughter of the late Sir Horace Darwin, was an honorary commissioner from 1920 to 1930 and has been a commissioner since January 1931.
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GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949
Woman’s Ministry of Health Post: Miss Ruth Darwin has been appointed as a Senior Commissioner of the Board of Control, under the British Ministry of Health in succession to Mrs. Ellen F. Pinsent, C.B.E. Mrs. Pinsent will retire on July 31st. Miss Darwin, who is a daughter of the late Sir Horace Darwin, was an Honorary Commissioner from 1920 to 1930, and has been a Commissioner since January 1st, 1931.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949