Dorothea Beale (1831-1906) was an English teacher, founder of St. Hilda's College, Oxford. Her name is associated with that of Frances Buss in a satirical rhyme:

Miss Buss and Miss Beale,
Cupid's darts do not feel…

The lines refer to their unmarried state and their dedication to the cause of women's education. Miss Beale was appointed headmistress of the Clergy Daughters' School in Westmorland in 1857, but soon moved on to become head of Cheltenham Ladies' College , a post which she held until her death. In 1885, she founded a new institution, St Hilda's College, Cheltenham - a teachers' training college. In 1893, she founded St Hilda's Hall at Oxford, later St. Hilda's College, Oxford. She was an active supporter of the suffragette movement.