Lady Welby: Her Support for and Erasure from the Eugenics Movement
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Abstract
At the turn of the twentieth century, gender bias kept women’s role in the advancement of science subservient to male researchers and academics. The study of the involvement of women in various areas of science will cast a richer understanding of the development of those domains. One such women was Victoria Lady Welby, who is best known for creating the field of Significs, within the philosophy of language. She also initiated what grew into a consequential association with Sir Francis Galton and his idea of eugenics. Her deep involvement in this controversial area has not appeared in the historiography of eugenics. Her influence on Galton and eugenics was in a sense erased after her death and more recently denied in current chronicling of her Significs work. Employing her correspondence, this paper reveals Welby’s agreement with Sir Francis Galton’s eugenic ideas, and her significant contribution to its promotion. After placing her firmly within the eugenic camp the paper will address how she came to disappear from the eugenic story.
Keywords: Victoria Lady Welby, Francis Galton, Eugenics, Significs, Gender Bias
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