The Story of Mrs Beech

Published on 29/04/2016

Women have been employed at the Cambridge Observatory, as

assistants, or as human computers, since Miss Hardy began as a

Computer in 1876. We know she resigned (probably to get

married) in August 1881, but that's about all we know about

her.

We have very little information about many of these women,

often only a surname, making further biographical enquiries

very difficult. This was the case with "Mrs. Beech" who we

knew assisted Professor Newall with his study of sunspots in

the 1920's. "Mrs. Beech" even co-authored a paper in Monthly

Notices with Newall in 1924.

Professor Hugh Frank Newall (1857-1944) Director of SPO 1913-1928

However, in the case of Mrs. Beech we have been able to put

together, something of the story of her life.

Mrs Beech's first names were Anna Nellie and she was born in

Bristol on the 10th July 1889. Her father was Robert Henry

Scott, a bank cashier, and her mother was Mary Emily Chick.
She was educated at Newnham College, 1908-11 studying physics

and mathematics. She went to work as a school teacher in

Newcastle where she met her first husband, John Beech, they

married in 1915. Sadly, Captain John Beech was killed in action

towards the end of the First World War in 1918.

Mrs Beech, as a widow obtained work at the Solar Physics

Observatory (SPO), which was then based on our site in

Cambridge, and which was one of the organizations which

eventually formed the Institute of Astronomy. Here she was

employed as a secretary by Professor Hugh Frank Newall (who was

the son of the industrialist R.S. Newall who had commissioned

the 25-inch Newall Telescope). It was in this position that

Mrs. Beech began work on historical studies of sunspots, which

led to paper published in 1924, MNRAS 84(1924)528.

The Solar Physics Observatory, Cambridge (from the South c.1926)

In Cambridge, Mrs Beech met her second husband Arthur Stanley

Griffith, an eminent medical microbiologist. As the

custom was in those days she had to leave her work at the SPO

in 1927. The couple lived at Paradise House in Newnham. She

took a strong interest in gardening, and became an original

member of the Alpine Garden Society. She became an expert of

rare plants, particularly alpines, and served on committees of

the Royal Horticultural Society for many years. In 1955 she

bacame a Fellow of the Linnean Society.

Quite late in life she wrote a successful book, "Collins guide

to Alpines" (1964) which went through at least three editions.

She died in 1974, aged 85, her second husband having

predeceased her in 1941. She had two sons.

We are grateful to the following for providing information:

Anne Thomson, College Archivist, Newnham College, and to Jenny

Sargent, Cory Library Manager, Cambridge University Botanic

Garden.

Dr John Lagnado. Hon. Archivist, The Biochemical Society.

References

Obituary: Newnham College Roll Letter p.44-45 (1975). See also

Newnham College Register 1908: p.209.

The Times (10 April 1941) death notice of A.S. Griffith.

The Times (27 April 1972) Obituary of J.S. Griffith.

John Lagnado "From pabulum to prions (via DNA) a tale of two Griffiths" The Biochemist (August 2005) p.33

Commonwealth War Graves Commission database (accessed 21 April 2016)

IoA Library photographs PE32C (portrait of H.F. Newall), CO15A (photograph of SPO c.1926).

Mark Hurn

Departmental Librarian

Page last updated: 2 November 2018 at 15:25