ABSTRACT
Not only was it a part of their father’s religious principles to give his daughters as good an education as his sons, but it was also pragmatic and prudent. He knew that he would be unable to afford to support them should they not marry. A more traditional father would have made the assumption that his daughters would marry and thus no longer depend on him, rather than educating them in such a way that they could, if they wished, become financially independent. Perhaps Mr Collet had the good sense not to rely on marriage for his daughters realising that women formed the majority of the population at that time, a statistic of which he, being a journalist, was probably more aware than other middle-class fathers. Whatever the reason, Clara had him to thank for her good education. She had attended a primary school close to home at 2, Victoria Terrace, Hornsey Road, Hornsey, until she was 11 when she was sent to Calais for a year to learn French.
