Octavia Margaret Wilberforce was born to a famous family on 8 January 1888 at Lavington House, Petworth in Sussex. As a daughter she was not valued and received little formal education, and came out as a debutante in 1906. Her father disinherited her when she refused to marry the son of Earl Buxton, telling her family she wished to become a doctor, and he refused to pay for her medical studies. Octavia had been inspired in her medical ambition on meeting Louisa Martindale in 1911.
Despite the prejudice facing female doctors before the war and her lack of education, by 1913 she was able to enter the London School of Medicine for Women, qualifying in 1920. Only 3% of qualified doctors were female at that time. During the First World War years she worked as a dresser in the Casualty Department in St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, which gave her valuable practical and diagnostic experience. She was financially supported by friends who, interestingly, included Lord Buxton. Also, and most importantly, the famous actor, writer and suffragette Elizabeth Robins, whom she met in 1909 and lived with at ‘Backsettown’, Robins’ house near Henfield, often used as a refuge for suffragettes. It was the start of a life-long friendship and partnership.
In 1923 Olivia and Elizabeth set up home and general practice at 24 Montpelier Crescent, Brighton. There is a Blue Plaque on the house commemorating the work that both women did improving the life of women. Thereafter, she and Elizabeth lived and worked in Brighton and Henfield. They worked with Dr Louisa Martindale, one of the earliest female GPs in Brighton, to develop specialist local Health Services for Women. These included the Lady Chichester Hospital and,notably, the fifty-bed New Sussex Hospital for Women, where Ocatvia became Head Physician. In 1927 she developed ‘Backsettown’ as a convalescent home for professional women.
Writer Virginia Woolf and Leonard her husband were close friends and greatly admired Octavia. During Virginia’s last illness in 1941, Leonard sought Octavia’s help. She was deeply distressed by Virginia’s suicide in March 1941.
Octavia formally retired in 1954, but continued to work at ‘Backsettown’ supporting recuperating women until her death on 19th December 1963. This fittingly occurred at the New Sussex Hospital for Women and Children which she had been instrumental in establishing in Brighton.
Octavia Wilberforce