Albert Mansbridge
Encyclopedia
Albert Mansbridge was a British
educator who organized the adult education
movement in Britain. He is best known for founding the Workers' Educational Association
in England in 1903. Mansbridge served as its first secretary from 1903 to 1915.
Mansbridge was born the son of a carpenter, and due to his family's tight finances had to leave school at 14. As a result he was largely self-educated. However he still managed to attend university extension courses at King's College London
. He eventually taught evening classes himself in economics, industrial history, and typing, all while taking up clerical work. He had growing concerns over the fact that the extension courses, started in 1873, were aimed at the upper and middle classes. To help the situation he founded the WEA in 1903, originally called An Association to Promote the Higher Education of Working Men. The foundation was quick to be recognized by universities, and Mansbridge left clerical work in 1905 to become its full-time general secretary. He founded international branches of the WEA in Australia
in 1913, and later Canada
and New Zealand
. Mansbridge suffered from spinal meningitis, but after recovering he would go on to form several other adult-education groups. These included the World Association for Adult Education in 1918, the Seafarers' Educational Service in 1919 (The Marine Society College of the Sea
), and the British Institute of Adult Education in 1921. In 1922 he delivered the Lowell Lectures in Boston, and for the Pacific School of Religion with the University of California
the Earle Lectures in 1926. He also founded the National Central Library (UK), a tutorial system and a scholarly library for working people who were not connected to an academic institution.
He was a member of numerous government committees of education, including the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education from 1906 to 1912, and from 1924 to 1939. From 1915 to 1918 Mansbridge was on the Prime Minister's Committee on the Teaching of Modern Languages. He was a member of the Royal Commission on the Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge
from 1919 to 1922. He was also on the Statutory Commission on Oxford in 1923. He was a member of numerous church committees, including the Selborne Committee on Church and State from 1914 to 1916.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
educator who organized the adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
movement in Britain. He is best known for founding the Workers' Educational Association
Workers' Educational Association
The Workers’ Educational Association seeks to provide access to education and lifelong learning for adults from all backgrounds, and in particular those who have previously missed out on education. The International Federation of Workers Education Associations has consultative status to UNESCO...
in England in 1903. Mansbridge served as its first secretary from 1903 to 1915.
Mansbridge was born the son of a carpenter, and due to his family's tight finances had to leave school at 14. As a result he was largely self-educated. However he still managed to attend university extension courses at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. He eventually taught evening classes himself in economics, industrial history, and typing, all while taking up clerical work. He had growing concerns over the fact that the extension courses, started in 1873, were aimed at the upper and middle classes. To help the situation he founded the WEA in 1903, originally called An Association to Promote the Higher Education of Working Men. The foundation was quick to be recognized by universities, and Mansbridge left clerical work in 1905 to become its full-time general secretary. He founded international branches of the WEA in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1913, and later Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Mansbridge suffered from spinal meningitis, but after recovering he would go on to form several other adult-education groups. These included the World Association for Adult Education in 1918, the Seafarers' Educational Service in 1919 (The Marine Society College of the Sea
The Marine Society College of the Sea
The Marine Society College of the Sea is a distance learning further education college for those who make their living at sea. The college is owned and operated by The Marine Society, and is located at 202 Lambeth Road, in the London Borough of Lambeth....
), and the British Institute of Adult Education in 1921. In 1922 he delivered the Lowell Lectures in Boston, and for the Pacific School of Religion with the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
the Earle Lectures in 1926. He also founded the National Central Library (UK), a tutorial system and a scholarly library for working people who were not connected to an academic institution.
He was a member of numerous government committees of education, including the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education from 1906 to 1912, and from 1924 to 1939. From 1915 to 1918 Mansbridge was on the Prime Minister's Committee on the Teaching of Modern Languages. He was a member of the Royal Commission on the Universities of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
from 1919 to 1922. He was also on the Statutory Commission on Oxford in 1923. He was a member of numerous church committees, including the Selborne Committee on Church and State from 1914 to 1916.
Selected publications
- 1914: University Tutorial Classes published by Longmans Green in 1914.
- 1920: Adventure in Working Class Education London: Longmans Green
- 1923: The Older Universities of England, London: Longmans Green
- 1929:The Making of an Educationist
- 1932: Margaret Mcmillan: Prophet and Pioneer. London: Dent
- 1934: Brick upon Brick: 50 years [of the] Co-operative Permanent Building Society. (Later renamed Nationwide Building SocietyNationwide Building SocietyNationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton...
) Contains black and white images of personnel, buildings, has a chronologyChronologyChronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
, and includes a substantial appendixAddendumAn addendum, in general, is an addition required to be made to a document by its reader subsequent to its printing or publication. It comes from the Latin verbal phrase addendum est, being the gerundive form of the verb addo, addere, addidi, additum, "to give to, add to", meaning " must be added"...
section and index. Total of 236 pages. - 1935: Edward Stuart Talbot & Charles Gore. London: J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
- 1940: The Trodden Road