Elizabeth Phillips Hughes was born in Carmarthen in 1851 and attended schools in England.

She  studied at Newnham College Cambridge, where in, 1884, she gained a First in Moral Sciences. Like all women, she was not awarded the degree, but was appointed the first principal of Cambridge Training College (CTC) for Women.

She championed the entitlement of girls and women to secondary and higher education and, after leaving Cambridge in 1899, she lectured in Tokyo University.

Elizabeth retired to Barry and, convinced that war in Europe was inevitable, she led the establishment of a Red Cross Hospital. In 1917, she was the first woman in Wales to be awarded the MBE and, three years later, the degree of LL.D. was confered on her by the University of Wales. 

Her achievements were honoured by Cambridge University in 1949 when women were, at last, awarded degrees and the building housing CTC was renamed as ‘Hughes Hall’.

Ganwyd Elizabeth Phillips yng Nghaerfyrddin yn 1851 a mynychodd ysgolion yn Taunton a Cheltenham.

Astudiodd yng Ngholeg Newnham Caergrawnt, lle yn 1884, enillodd Radd Ddosbarth Cyntaf mewn Gwyddorau Moesol. Er na ddyfarnwyd gradd iddi, fel pob merch arall, fe’i penodwyd yn bennaeth cyntaf Coleg Hyfforddi Caergrawnt i Fenywod yn 1885.

Bu’n hyrwyddo hawl merched a menywod i addysg uwchradd ac uwch ac, ar ôl gadael Caergrawnt yn 1899, daeth yn athro gwadd ym Mhrifysgol Tokyo. 

Ymddeolodd Elizabeth Hughes i’r Barri a ddaeth yn argyhoeddedig bod rhyfel yn Ewrop yn anochel ac arweinodd hyn iddi sefydlu Ysbyty cyntaf y Groes Goch. Yn 1917, hi oedd y fenyw gyntaf yng Nghymru i dderbyn yr MBE  ac, yn 1920, dyfarnwyd LL.D. i Elizabeth gan Brifysgol Cymru.

Anrhydeddwyd ei chyflawniadau gan Brifysgol Caergrawnt yn 1949 pan ddyfarnwyd graddau i ferched o’r diwedd ac ailenwyd yr adeilad lle’r oedd CTC (y Coleg Hyfforddi i Fenywod) yn ‘Hughes Hall’.