Rhoda Fothergill

Rhoda Fothergill
Fothergill around 1952
Born	Agnes Hay Somerville Fothergill 1929 Lewisham, London, England
Died	19 June 2019 (aged 90) Perth, Scotland
Occupation(s)	Historian, educator and archaeologist
Awards	British Empire Medal
Academic work
Notable works	History of King James VI Hospital

Agnes Hay Somerville "Rhoda" Fothergill[1] (1929 – 19 June 2019)[1][2][3] was a Scottish historian, educator and archaeologist. She published several historical guides to Perth, Scotland. Her focus areas were Old Perth, the Greyfriars Burial Ground and people of 19th-century Perth.[4] She was the longest-serving member of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science (PSNS). Her contribution as a historian was recognised with a British Empire Medal in 2014.

Early life

Fothergill was born in Lewisham, London, in 1929, to Scottish parents. They moved back to their hometown of Dunfermline in the lead up to World War II, before relocating to Perth.[1] She studied in Edinburgh, St Andrews and Dundee, although she spent most of her life in Perth.[5] She was educated at Perth Academy between 1943 and 1947, then graduated from the University of St Andrews in 1952.[1]

Career

In 1953, she began a 24-year teaching career at Kinnoull Primary School. In 1977, she moved to Caledonian Road Primary School.[4]

In 1968, three years after joining the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, she was appointed its secretary, a role in which she remained for 47 years. She was the society's longest-serving member at the time of her death. Many of her papers, such as A History of King James VI Hospital, were published in the journals of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science (PSNS).[4]

Fothergill served on the Ancient Monuments Board and was a founder member of the Perth Civic Society.[4][6]

Rhoda Fothergill's British Empire Medal is held in the Rhoda Fothergill collection, MS347/5/4/1, in the Perth and Kinross Archive.

Awards and recognition

Fothergill received the DK Thomson Award for her contribution to the city of Perth in January 2004.[7]

She was presented with a Perth Civic Trust Award in 2007 and a tree was planted to mark the milestone.[8]

The British Empire Medal was conferred on her in the New Year's Honours List in 2014, in recognition of her work on the history and preservation of Perth and Perthshire.[4][9]

In 2017, she was made Honorary Life President of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science in recognition of her 50 years of service to its council.[10]

Death

Fothergill died in 2019, aged 90.[11] Her funeral was held at Craigie and Moncreiffe Church in the Craigie area of Perth, where she had lived, in Pitheavlis Crescent, for over sixty years.[1]

References

1. "Issue Number Autumn 2019 CONTENTS" (PDF). www.culturepk.org.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
2. "Rhoda Fothergill and William Soutar: A Shared Landscape". Eventbrite. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
3. Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
4. "1990s A Social Record – Rhoda Fothergill publishes historical guides to Perth – Perthshire Society of Natural Science". www.psns.org.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
5. Bannerman, Gordon (9 March 2012). "Extraordinary new book on Perth". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
6. Founder member of Perth Civic Trust receives honorary award, Perthshire Advertiser, 7 September 2002, p16.
7. Perthshire Advertiser, 13 January 2004, p 7.
8. "Special award for founder member". Perthshire Advertiser. 7 September 2007. p. 16.
9. Rhoda Fothergill's British Empire Medal is held in the Rhoda Fothergill collection, MS347/5/4/1, in the Perth and Kinross Archive.
10. Certificate awarding Rhoda Fothergill Life Presidency of Perthshire Society of Natural Sciences is held in the Rhoda Fothergill collection, MS347/5/4/3, in the Perth and Kinross Archive.
11. "Click here to view the tribute page for Rhoda FOTHERGILL". funeral-notices.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2023.