Penelope Lawrence

Penelope "P.L." Lawrence aka Nelly (10 November 1856 – 3 July 1932) was a British co-founder of Roedean School in Brighton with her half sisters, Dorothy Lawrence and Millicent Lawrence.

Life Lawrence was born in Hyde Park, London. Her mother, Charlotte Augusta (born Bailey), died within three months of Lawrence's birth. Her father, Philip Henry Lawrence (1822–1895), was a solicitor who in the following year married Margaret Davies. Education had long been an interest in Penelope's family; her father's aunt was Sarah Lawrence who, like her mutual friends the Martineau family and writer Anna Letitia Barbauld conducted her own educational establishment. These connections continued thorough the decades with sisters Madeline (Lena) and Lucy Martineau boarding at Roedean in the school's early years at Wimbledon. Penelope's aunt, Frances 'Fanny' Bailey (1836-1921) had married Russell Martineau, son of James Martineau in 1861.

Penelope Lawrence's family lived in Wimbledon and in time there would be fourteen children. Her father, Philip, was overworked, and he took himself and the family to Freiberg in 1864 and then on to Versailles. From there her father returned to work, while the children remained to learn French. They returned to Wimbledon in 1865. Lawrence was at the Kindergarten until 1883. Five of the Lawrence sisters were now employed in teaching where it was said that students had two or three hours exercise each day.

In 1895 new premises were required and it was planned to build near Rottingdean. The family got behind the idea and their brother Paul invested £50 from his new job as a barrister. The new school was constructed between 1897 and 1899 and the growth to what was called Roedean was a step change. The new school was run on stricter lines more like a traditional boys school and each of the sisters took responsibility for a house. There was a triumvirate but Penelope was the lead.

In 1903 her youngest half sister Theresa Lawrence founded a school for the daughters of executives involved in gold mining in South Africa. This school still exists and is called Roedean School (South Africa). Theresa had been one of the first four children taught by Penelope at Wimbledon School when it was founded.

Lawrence died at her home in Boxmoor in 1932.