Agnes Headlam-Morley


Agnes Headlam-Morley was a British historian and academic. From 1948 to 1971, she was Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford. Upon her appointment in October 1948, she became the first woman to be appointed to a chair at Oxford.

Early life and education

Headlam-Morley was born on 10 December 1902 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. She was the only daughter of Sir James Wycliffe Headlam-Morley. She was educated at Wimbledon High School, an all-girls independent school in Wimbledon, London. She studied modern history at Somerville College, Oxford, graduating with a second class Bachelor of Arts degree in 1924. She then undertook research in modern European political history, and completed a Bachelor of Letters degree in 1926.

Academic career

In 1932, Headlam-Morley was elected a Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford. Until her retirement, she was a tutor in history and politics at St Hugh's. In October 1948, she was appointed Montague Burton Professor of International Relations. This made her the first woman to be appointed a chair at the University of Oxford. In 1971, she stepped down from the chair and retired from full-time academia.
In 1948, Headlam-Morley was made an honorary fellow of Somerville College, Oxford. She was made an honorary fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford in 1970; the year before her retirement.
Headlam-Morley died on 21 February 1986, aged 83 years.

Personal life

Headlam-Morley was a convert to Roman Catholicism and was received into the Catholic Church in 1948. She was a member of the Conservative Party, and stood as a candidate in the 1936 election to Durham County Council.