CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Grace Frankland

English bacteriologist (1858-1946)

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ4794922 ↗
Source-derived summary

Grace Coleridge Frankland known as Mrs Percy Frankland née Grace Toynbee (4 December 1858 – 5 October 1946) was an English microbiologist. She was one of the nineteen female scientists who wrote the 1904 petition to the Chemical Society to request that they should create some female fellows of the society.

Life

She was the youngest of nine children; her parents were Harriet and Joseph Toynbee, a noted otologist. Two of her brothers were the economic historian Arnold Toynbee and the Dante scholar Paget Toynbee. She was home schooled and spent one year at Bedford College.

Toynbee married Percy Frankland in 1882, and with him developed an interest in the emerging science of bacteriology. She worked with both Percy and his father Edward Frankland and was described at the time as having "worthily aided and seconded [Percy]". She co-authored papers with her husband on bacteria and other microorganisms found in the air and water. Colleagues of her husband noted that although their situation as husband and wife working equally together was not unique, he was 'the first man who had the chivalry to admit it.'

Frankland was especially interested in the relationship between bacteria and public health. In 1903 she wrote a popular science book entitled Bacteria in Daily Life.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Grace Frankland” as english bacteriologist (1858-1946). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Grace, Frankland and English.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1858, 1946, 1904, 1882—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1858-12-04. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Grace, Frankland and English providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Grace Frankland”, the useful work is to connect “english bacteriologist (1858-1946)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4794922. VIAF identifies the subject as 16233881. The Library of Congress control number is n85801098. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1858, 1946, 1904 and 1882.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Grace Frankland”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Grace Frankland primary sources, Grace Frankland archive and Grace research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Grace Frankland”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Grace Frankland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.