Lily Newton

Lily Newton, born Lily Batten (26 January 1893 – 26 March 1981) was professor of botany and vice-principal at the University of Wales.

Early life and education

Newton was born Lily Batten in Pensford, Somerset in 1893, She attended Colston’s Girls' School, Bristol, where she was captain of school. She studied geology and botany at the University of Bristol, where she was awarded the Vincent Stuckey Lean scholarship in botany and graduated with a first class honours degree.

Career

She became assistant lecturer in Botany at Bristol in 1919, before moving to Birkbeck College, University of London the next year. Under her guidance, her department achieved a considerable reputation both in Wales and beyond. There was a striking increase in the number of students, and a vigorous research programme was undertaken, closely related to local issues.

She was Vice-Principal of the University of Wales 1951-52, and then, following the sudden death of Ifor Leslie Evans, Acting Principal 1952-53. It has been described as a work of outstanding scholarship and was still used 50 years later. Newton was asked to coordinate botanical work involving large scale production of agar from suitable British seaweeds. She served on the Vegetable Drugs Committee of the Ministries of Supply and Health. She acted as consultant to the Rheidol Hydro-Electric Scheme.

Newton held the presidency of a number of societies; these included Section K of the British Association, 1949; the British Phycological Society, 1955–57, and the UK Federation for Education in Home Economics, 1957-63. She played an important role in the early work of the Nature Conservancy Council in Wales.

Personal life and death She married Dr William Charles Frank Newton in 1925, a cytologist at the John Innes Horticultural Institute. She was widowed two years later. From 1927 to 1928 she helped to prepare much of her late husband’s work for publication. Newton, L. Plant distribution in the Aberystwyth district: including Plynlimon and Cader Idris. Aberystwyth: Cambrian News, 1933 Marshall, S.M., Newton, L., Orr, A.P., London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1949 Newton, L. Seaweed utilisation. London: Sampson Low, 1951