Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall
Encyclopedia
Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall (usually credited as H. E. Marshall, 9 August 1867 – 19 September 1941) was a British author
, particularly well known for her works of popular national history for children.
She was born in Bo'ness
, Scotland
, and her father was John Marshall JP
, an earthenware manufacturer.
She was educated at a girls' boarding school called Laurel Bank, in Melrose
.
Between 1901 and 1904 she was the superintendent of a hall of residence for female students at Glasgow University, but, otherwise, she appears to have made her living throughout her life by writing. She was unmarried.
As is made clear by the Prefaces of her books from time to time, she travelled extensively after 1904, including to Melbourne
, California
and China
, although her obituary in The Times
stated that she spent most of her life in Oxford
and in London
, where she died.
H. E. Marshall is famous for her 1905 children's history of England
, Our Island Story
: A History of England for Boys and Girls, illustrated by A. S. Forrest. In the USA
the book was entitled An Island Story. The book was a bestseller, was printed in numerous editions, and for fifty years was the standard and much-loved book by which children learned the history of England. However a lot of this book is historically inaccurate and much of it uses Shakespeare's plays for historical sources; for example, the section of Richard III is really a summary of the play. The book is still to be found in schools and homes, but the last printing was in 1953 and it went out of print in the 1960s. In 2005, an alliance of the Civitas think-tank and various national newspapers brought the book back into print, with the aim of sending a free copy to each of the UK's primary schools. Readers of The Daily Telegraph
contributed £25,000 to the cost of the reprint.
H. E. Marshall also wrote:
Her works entered the public domain
in Australia on 1 January 1992, after 50 full years from her death, per the Berne Convention on copyright. Her works may still be in copyright within the EU until January 2012, 70 years from her death, per European Union copyright law (1993 Term Directive).
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, particularly well known for her works of popular national history for children.
She was born in Bo'ness
Bo'ness
Bo'ness, properly Borrowstounness, is a coastal town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on a hillside on the south bank of the Firth of Forth within the Falkirk council area, north-west of Edinburgh and east of Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Bo'ness had a resident population of 13,961...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and her father was John Marshall JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, an earthenware manufacturer.
She was educated at a girls' boarding school called Laurel Bank, in Melrose
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
.
Between 1901 and 1904 she was the superintendent of a hall of residence for female students at Glasgow University, but, otherwise, she appears to have made her living throughout her life by writing. She was unmarried.
As is made clear by the Prefaces of her books from time to time, she travelled extensively after 1904, including to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, although her obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
stated that she spent most of her life in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she died.
H. E. Marshall is famous for her 1905 children's history of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Our Island Story
Our Island Story
Our Island Story: A Child's History of England is a book by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall, first published in 1905 in London by T. C. & E. C. Jack....
: A History of England for Boys and Girls, illustrated by A. S. Forrest. In the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the book was entitled An Island Story. The book was a bestseller, was printed in numerous editions, and for fifty years was the standard and much-loved book by which children learned the history of England. However a lot of this book is historically inaccurate and much of it uses Shakespeare's plays for historical sources; for example, the section of Richard III is really a summary of the play. The book is still to be found in schools and homes, but the last printing was in 1953 and it went out of print in the 1960s. In 2005, an alliance of the Civitas think-tank and various national newspapers brought the book back into print, with the aim of sending a free copy to each of the UK's primary schools. Readers of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
contributed £25,000 to the cost of the reprint.
H. E. Marshall also wrote:
- Scotland's Story: A History of Scotland for Boys and GirlsScotland's StoryScotland's Story is book by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall first published in 1906 in the United Kingdom and in 1910 in the United States. It was reissued in 2005. It is about the history of Scotland, and it also has some legends having to do with Scotland...
(1906) - BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
: Translations (1908) - Our Empire Story (1908)
- English Literature for Boys and Girls (1909)
- History of France (1912)
- History of Germany
- This Country of Ours (1917) - the American title of the book, which was published in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe 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...
as The Story of the United States (1919) - Kings and Things (1937).
Her works entered the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
in Australia on 1 January 1992, after 50 full years from her death, per the Berne Convention on copyright. Her works may still be in copyright within the EU until January 2012, 70 years from her death, per European Union copyright law (1993 Term Directive).
External links
- Full text e-book of An Island Story (note that the 1953 edition continued to the First World WarWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
). - H.E. Marshall's other works, online. (The Child's English Literature (1909) and This Country of Ours (1917))
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography