10 Facts About Ivy Williams

Ivy Williams was the first woman to be called to the English bar, in May 1922.

Ivy Williams never practised, but she was the first woman to teach law at a British university.

Ivy Williams obtained Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London in 1901, and LLD from the same university in 1903.

Ivy Williams became England's first female barrister when she was called to the bar on 10 May 1922, having received a certificate of honour in her final bar examination in Michaelmas 1921 which excused her from keeping two terms of dinners.

Ivy Williams's call to the bar was described by the Law Journal as "one of the most memorable days in the long annals of the legal profession".

Ivy Williams was followed by other women, including Helena Normanton and Jane Sissmore.

Ivy Williams did not enter private practice, but taught law at the Society of Oxford Home Students from 1920 to 1945, making her the first woman to teach law at an English university.

Ivy Williams learned to read Braille after she began to lose her sight in later life, and she wrote a Braille primer which was published by the National Institute for the Blind in 1948.

Ivy Williams was born in Newton Abbot in Devon and educated privately.

Ivy Williams's parents were Emma and George St Swithin Williams.