Dame Elsie Payne (née Pilgrim; 14 May 1927 – 25 August 2004) DA was a teacher and following independence she became the first Barbadian-born principal of Queen's College in Bridgetown.

[1] Pilgrim returned to Barbados and began her teaching career at Queen's College in 1952 and the following year married Dr. David O.

[2] At a time when the history of the British West Indies was not typically a part of the curriculum, Payne taught about slavery in the Caribbean.

Payne and the teachers stood resolute and gained the concessions for which they fought,[6] resulting in an overhaul and reform of Barbados' educational system.

In addition to her work at Queen's College, Payne served on several national education boards,[1] the Barbados Constitution Review Commission, the Barbados Privy Council,[7] as well as providing lectures at the Centre for Multi-Racial Studies under the auspices of the University of the West Indies and the University of Sussex.