Emily Anne Eliza Shirreff
(3 November 1814 – 20 March 1897) was a pioneer in the movement for the higher education of women
and the development of the Froebelian
principles in England
She was born on 3 November 1814, the second of four daughters and two sons born to Rear-Admiral William Henry Shirreff
(1785–1847) and Elizabeth Anne Shirreff. She was very close to her sister Maria Shirreff
, with whom she collaborated with on educational and writing projects.
Emily and her sisters were educated from an early age by a French governess
called Adele Piqet, who had a limited education. In the 1820s the family lived in France
where the father was stationed.
At the age of 14 she was sent to a boarding school
but the rough conditions at the school affected Emily’s poor health and she was removed a year later. In 1829, her father took command of HMS Warspite
and moved his family to Avranche in Lower Normandy
. In 1831 her father was appointed to Gibraltar
and did not think it his daughters needed another governess, bringing their formal... Read More