Barbara ‘BW’ Russell, who has died aged 92, was the legendary head of the exclusive Berkhamsted school for girls, Hertfordshire, from 1950 to 1971. Educated at St Oran’s school, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University and Oxford University’s education department, she began her teaching career as history mistress at Brighton and Hove high school, then moved to Roedean. Her girls at Berkhamsted were lacrosse champions for south-east England in 1957-8. Famous old girls included Lady Spencer-Churchill and Mary Moorman, daughter of the eminent historian GM Trevelyan, and a leading authority on Wordsworth.