Mrs Mary Humphry Ward (1851 - 1920)

Mary's portrait 1899 by American
artist Julian Russell Story

The novelist and/philanthropist Mary Augusta Ward was born Mary Augusta Arnold in Hobart, Tasmania - her father Thomas - was a brother of Matthew Arnold the poet/critic.   The family returned to England and Mary was brought up in Oxford.

Mary met Thomas Humphry Ward (1845 - 1926), who was a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford, and they married in 1872.  During their time in Oxford, Mary spent her mornings in the Bodleian Library and her evenings writing.

Thomas and Mary moved to London in 1881 when Thomas went to work for "The Times".   Mary continued writing novels.  She was also involved in charitable works and founded the Passmore Edwards Settlement in Tavistock Place, London, an education centre for working class men and women.  This included a play centre for children - a forerunner of after-school care centres.

Mary was a very successful and renowned writer and by 1914 she was the best-known Englishwoman in America.   The American Government approached Mary with a request that she write about the War from the British perspective.   Mary agreed and became the first woman journalist to visit the trenches of the Western Front and was afforded special facilities by the War Office to this end.   Mary wrote and published three books about what she saw:

“England's Effort: Letters to an American Friend” With a Preface by the Earl of Rosebery, K.G. (London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1916)

“Towards the Goal” (London, John Murray, 1917) with a Foreword by The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, and

“Fields of Victory” (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1919

These are available to read as free downloads on Project Gutengerg:

https://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/vwwp/view?docId=VAB7060&doc.view=print

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10099/pg10099.html

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13827/13827-h/13827-h.htm

Mrs Ward was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 New Year Honours List. 

Mary Augusta Ward died in London in 1920 and was buried at Aldbury in Hertfordshire, near her beloved country home Stocks.

Janet, her daughter, wrote a book about Mrs Ward:  “The Life of Mrs Humphry Ward by her Daughter Janet Penrose Trevelyan” (New York, Dodd, Mead & Co., 1923), which is also avaialbe to read

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40319/40319-h/40319-h.htm

Mary Ward's memory lives on in The Mary Ward Centre for adult education in London -
www.marywardcentre.ac.uk

http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/maryaugustaward.html