Explore with Gertrude Bell

Explore with Gertrude Bell book cover — travel with the great explorers Explore with Gertrude Bell Tim Cooke Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com

Explore with Gertrude Bell — page 1 — Did you know Gertrude’s father Sir Hugh Bell was a supporter of trade unions public libraries and schools His desire to treat people fairly shaped how Gertrude interacted with peoples in the Middle East Meet the Boss Gertrude Bell 1868 1926 was born into one of the wealthiest families in Great Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria A woman of her class was expected to become a wife and mother but Gertrude had other ideas WEALTHY FAMILY Born into money The Bells were said to be the sixth richest family in Great Britain Gertrude’s grandfather Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell right was a scientist He used his knowledge to build the largest iron-working and coal mining company in England The business employed 47,000 people The Bells were known for treating their employees fairly Gertrude was brought up to believe it was important to look after less fortunate people DEVASTATING LOSS Loses mother age three Close bond with father In 1871 Gertrude’s mother Mary died after giving birth to Gertrude’s baby brother Maurice For the rest of her life Gertrude was extremely close to her father Hugh left who brought up the children Hugh and Gertrude were devoted to each other for the rest of their lives 4 TRAVEL WITH THE GREAT EXPLORERS

Explore with Gertrude Bell — page 2 — A HAPPY FAMILY Stepmother writes plays Encourages Gertrude In August 1876 Hugh Bell married his second wife Gertrude’s new stepmother was 24-year-old Florence Olliffe who was a successful playwright Florence was also interested in social issues She wrote a ground breaking study on the lives of poor workers Florence believed that it was not enough simply to talk about social problems She taught Gertrude that people of their privileged background could become involved in improving the lives of others Education Gertrude was very smart At 15 she was sent to London as her parents felt she needed a more challenging school The teachers recommended women at the time Gertrude go to Oxford University which was rare for FEMALE PIONEER Gertrude works hard Gertrude went to Oxford University in 1886 and studied at Lady Margaret Hall above It was one of only two Oxford colleges that admitted women Not only did Gertrude graduate a year ahead of schedule she also gained the highest mark of the year in Modern History She was the first woman to ever achieve this Her success was even announced in The Times A DIFFERENT COURSE Breaking society’s rules Gertrude was adventurous and independent She also had ideas of her own about her future She did not want simply to become a wife and mother like other women of her class Instead she wanted to travel and explore the world She wanted to make a difference in the world and to help people EXPLORE WITH GERTRUDE BELL 5

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