Rona Robinson

Rona Robinson (26 June 1884 – 7 April 1962) was the first woman in the United Kingdom to gain a first-class degree in chemistry and one of the first documented female industrial chemists. She was also a British suffragette and paid member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).

Early life Rona Robinson (front row) pictured in her 1905 graduating class photo. Photo courtesy of the School of Chemistry, University of Manchester Rona Robinson was born on 26 June 1884. She was the youngest child of Jessie and Fred (Alfred) Robinson, both of her parents originating from the Manchester area, from Chorlton-on-Medlock and Cheetham Hill respectively. She was from a working-class background, her father is listed as cotton goods traveller. Robinson's childhood was spent in the Gorton and Withington areas of Manchester, growing up with her sister Lilian (b. 1880) and brother Andrew (b. 1882). Her father died when Robinson was young and her mother took in lodgers to make ends meet. In the 1891 census, Jessie is registered as a widow and lodging house keeper living with her three children and two visitors, one from Liverpool and one from Syria.

Education Robinson attended one of the Manchester Central Schools. In 1900, at the age of 15, she was awarded a junior science exhibition to the value of £15 per annum by Lancashire County Council, this funding allowed her to continue studying well beyond the traditional school leaving age.

Robinson gained a scholarship to study at Owens College, Manchester (incorporated into the Victoria University of Manchester in 1904), matriculating in 1902. Here she excelled; appearing in the list of first class students for the Owens College examinations sessions of 1902–03 (her first year) as 3rd equal in her class in organic chemistry. She graduated with a first class honours degree in chemistry, the LeBlanc medal for distinction in chemistry and a Mercer scholarship (for the best final year student entering research) in 1905. She graduated with her MSc in 1907. (The banner is now displayed at the People's History Museum, Manchester). Marsden and Robinson were appointed organisers from the Manchester branch in 1909 but quickly moved to other locations for much of their work.

Marsden and Robinson were imprisoned for a month for obstruction and assault after taking part in a deputation to see the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith in 1909. A journalist called William Hutcheon was also arrested for obstruction.

Sources suggest Robinson's medal was sold to a private collector in the USA.

Critic of domestic science Robinson had been outspoken on feminist matters during her years as a suffragette, giving a talk in the Freewoman Discussion Circle on the Abolition of Domestic Drudgery.

Robinson was a Gilchrist postgraduate scholar in Home Science and Economics at King’s College for Women in 1912. It is unclear why she took the scholarship given that she already had a postgraduate degree. She resigned her scholarship, citing that the course offered was "worthless from an educational point of view". “women must realize that knowledge of pure science, and the power to apply it, are chiefly in the hands of men, and to men they must appeal for application of science to the household, unless they themselves are prepared to become serious scientists” Robinson wrote extensively on her criticism of the study of domestic science, particularly in feminist publications.

Life in chemistry Robinson is considered to be one of the first documented female research chemists. In the 8 years following her graduation from Manchester she researched dyes in a private laboratory at her home in Mitford Rd,Withington. ).