Davies was born on Robben Island in 1909, where her father was a doctor. In 1935 she started work at the Cape Archives Depot and in 1944 she transferred to the Transvaal Archives Depot. In 1957 she was appointed head of the new Liaison Department, and was involved with selecting documents and advising the government on filing. After a period in England, Davies was appointed as head of the Cape Archives Depot and stayed in this position until her retirement. She was the first woman to be an archivist and the first female head of an archives depot, as until this point women had only been assistants. Davies was also a member of many different societies, including the Pretoria Historical Society.
biographyREF B-0007974Revised
Biography record
Joan Hoskyn Davies
- Born
- 2 December 1909
- Died
- 6 January 1984
- Updated
- 8 Jul 2020
How we know this
- 01E.J. Verwey (ed), New dictionary of South African biography. Pretoria, 1995, pp 58-59
Last updated · 8 Jul 2020
South African History Online. (2011, February 17). Joan Hoskyn Davies. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0007974
South African History Online (2011) 'Joan Hoskyn Davies', South African History Online, 17 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0007974 (Accessed: 24 July 2026).
South African History Online, Joan Hoskyn Davies [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0007974, (accessed 24 July 2026).
"Joan Hoskyn Davies." South African History Online, 17 Feb. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0007974. Accessed 24 July 2026.
South African History Online. "Joan Hoskyn Davies." South African History Online. February 17, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ve/ref/B-0007974.
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