Lucy Mary Silcox

Lucy Mary Silcox (11 July 1862 – 11 January 1947) was an English headteacher and feminist. She was noted as an inspiring head at three girls' schools.

Life Silcox was born in Warminster in 1862.

After gaining a first class pass at the classics tripos at Newnham College she began teaching classics at Liverpool High School for Girls. In 1890 she was given her first headship when she began to lead the East Liverpool High School for Girls funded by what became the Girls' Day School Trust. She gave her time to give extra lessons to pupils including the future member of parliament Eleanor Rathbone. In 1900 she moved on to lead the West Dulwich High School for Girls leaving her previous school under the leadership of her younger sister. Bertrand and Dora Russell with Silcox in 1922 (by Lady Ottoline Morrell). She was able to bring leading thinkers and artists to the school and money was found to buy sculpture She directed the girls in ancient Greek plays and she was a role model for demanding change. She was President of the local National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and she gave talks in surrounding villages in support of women gaining the vote. The school was evacuated more than once, however she stuck by her values. She helped Serbian refugees. During a debate about poor behaviour by their enemies she said that they should and could not retaliate in kind. She said "If we perish we perish but we will not do this thing".