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Janet Spens

1876 – 1963

Scottish literary scholar

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About Janet Spens

Lived 1876 – 1963 (aged 87). Janet Spens was a literary critic.

Janet Spens (1876–1963) was a Scottish literary scholar specialising in Elizabethan literature.

Life Laurel Bank School in Glasgow was formed in 1905 by Margaret Hannan Watson and Spens. They were both graduates of St Andrews and Glasgow University. Spens left Watson in charge when she left in 1908.

Spens was the assistant to Regius Professor Macneile Dixon in the Department of English Language and Literature (1908 to 1911) and "tutor to the women students in Arts" (1909 to 1911) at the University of Glasgow, before joining Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford as a fellow and tutor in English (1911 to 1936). In 1910, she became the first woman to be awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degree by the University of Glasgow.

Private life Lodge was very close to Eleanor Lodge who she met in 1911. They lodged at the same address and they hired a cottage from 1916 for nine years at Steeple Aston. They then bought a house together. Spens published "Eleanor Constance Lodge, Terms & Vacations" after Eleanor died in 1936.

Selected works

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
University of Glasgow
Employers
University of Glasgow

People in Janet Spens's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Janet Spens's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Janet Spens?

Scottish literary scholar (1876–1963)

When was Janet Spens born?

Janet Spens was born on 17 January 1876.

When did Janet Spens die?

Janet Spens died on 17 January 1963.

What was Janet Spens's occupation?

Janet Spens was a literary critic.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Janet Spens

· Wikidata: Q18529984

· DBpedia: Janet Spens

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Janet Spens. https://biography.guide/janet-spens/

MLA: "Janet Spens." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/janet-spens/.

Chicago: "Janet Spens." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/janet-spens/.

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