Dr. Elizabeth Roberts 2009

PRESIDENT 2009

Dr ELIZABETH ROBERTS BGGS 1948-1955

I have been asked to write something about myself for the Old Barrovian. Like most Barrovians, I was brought up never to show off. I am not comfortable talking about myself, but I realise that if I don’t do this most of our readers will have no idea who I am!

I arrived at Barrow Girls’ Grammar School in 1948 from Barrow Island School. I enjoyed a completely happy time at BGGS and made friends whom I still have and value.

I chose to go to Bristol University to read History. I was the first girl from the school to go to Bristol. My mother used to say that I chose it to be as far away from home as possible, but the truth was that I was influenced by Miss Davies, my History teacher, who had also been a student there. My time at Bristol convinced me that I was and would always be a Northerner. I had endless versions of the following conversation in my first year: when explaining that I came from Barrow the reply was “Oh Barrow Gurney?” “ No, Barrow-in-Furness.” “Where is that?” “ In the North.” “Oh yes, I’ve been to Birmingham.” The best part of being at Bristol was meeting my future husband, Hugh. During my presidency we shall celebrate our Golden Wedding.

I trained as a teacher at the Institute of Education in London University and taught for three years in a south London comprehensive school. This was followed by seven years in Peterborough where I was a Head of Department in a local school, taught at the local College and had my two children. I also started writing and had five books published on significant political leaders and movements of the twentieth century.

We moved back to the North, to Lancaster, in 1969. I began my research for my PhD. at Lancaster University in 1971. My work on regional social history involved a very new technique - that of Oral History. I spent a lot of time in the 1970s and 1980s interviewing people in Barrow, Lancaster and Preston about their early lives. This work has produced a massive archive and three books. I worked as a Research Fellow in the Centre for North West Regional Studies in Lancaster University. In 1987 I became the Administrator of the Centre, and then, in 1993 until I retired in 1999, I was the Director. I continue to give talks to local history groups on my work.

I was a magistrate for 22 years and a school governor for 21. I am currently President of Lancaster Soroptimists and very involved with Quakers both in Lancaster and the region.

I feel very honoured to be President of the Old Barrovians.

I would very much like to encourage more Old Girls to belong. When researching the book about BGGS I found many women with happy memories of their days at school and it would be so good to welcome those women to the lunches, where they could catch up with old friends and perhaps make some new ones.