Mary Paley Marshall
Encyclopedia
Mary Paley Marshall born Mary Paley, was an economist and one of the first women to study at Cambridge University
.
She was born in Lincolnshire, England
, a daughter of Rev. Thomas Paley, Rector of Ufford, and a great-granddaughter of the eighteenth-century theologian and philosopher William Paley
. She was educated at home, excelling in languages: in 1871, after performing well in rigorous entrance exams, she earned a scholarship to become one of the first five students at the recently founded Newnham College in Cambridge
. She took the Moral Sciences Tripos in 1874, and was classed between a first and second-class, though as a woman she was debarred from graduation. From 1875 to 1876 she was a Lecturer at Newnham
.
In 1876, she became engaged to her economics teacher, Alfred Marshall
: in 1878 she moved with him to found the teaching of economics
at University College, Bristol
. In 1883 she followed him to Oxford
, before the couple returned to Cambridge in 1885 where they built and moved into Balliol Croft (renamed Marshall House in 1991). Mary lectured on economics herself, and was asked to develop a book from her Cambridge lectures. Mary and Alfred wrote The Economics of Industry together, published in 1879. Alfred disliked the book, however, and it eventually went out of print, even with moderate demand for it.
Mary, a firm friend of Eleanor Sidgwick, kept up her association with Newnham College: she was an Associate from 1893 to 1912, twice (1891-4, 1907-9) a member of the College Council, and one of the original trustees of the Mary Anne Ewart Trust. Yet her husband Alfred became increasingly obstructive to the cause of women's education, believing that women had nothing useful to say. When Cambridge began to consider giving women degrees, he forsook friendships and respect to go against the movement. Mary was nevertheless totally devoted to her husband, and an important unofficial collaborator in his own economic writings. Alfred's major theoretical work was Principles of Economics: he is mentioned as the only author, but Mary may have done quite as much work as he did on the book.
Upon Alfred’s death in 1924, Mary became Honorary Librarian of The Marshall Library of Economics
at Cambridge, to which she donated her husband's collection of articles and books on economics. She continued to live in Balliol Croft until her death in 1944. Her ashes were scattered in the garden.
Mary Paley Marshall's reminiscences were published posthumously as What I Remember (1947).
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...
.
She was born in Lincolnshire, 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...
, a daughter of Rev. Thomas Paley, Rector of Ufford, and a great-granddaughter of the eighteenth-century theologian and philosopher William Paley
William Paley
William Paley was a British Christian apologist, philosopher, and utilitarian. He is best known for his exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God in his work Natural Theology, which made use of the watchmaker analogy .-Life:Paley was Born in Peterborough, England, and was...
. She was educated at home, excelling in languages: in 1871, after performing well in rigorous entrance exams, she earned a scholarship to become one of the first five students at the recently founded Newnham College in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. She took the Moral Sciences Tripos in 1874, and was classed between a first and second-class, though as a woman she was debarred from graduation. From 1875 to 1876 she was a Lecturer at Newnham
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
.
In 1876, she became engaged to her economics teacher, Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall was an Englishman and one of the most influential economists of his time. His book, Principles of Economics , was the dominant economic textbook in England for many years...
: in 1878 she moved with him to found the teaching of economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at University College, Bristol
University College, Bristol
University College, Bristol was an educational institution which existed from 1876 to 1909. It was the predecessor institution to the University of Bristol, which gained a Royal Charter in 1909...
. In 1883 she followed him to 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...
, before the couple returned to Cambridge in 1885 where they built and moved into Balliol Croft (renamed Marshall House in 1991). Mary lectured on economics herself, and was asked to develop a book from her Cambridge lectures. Mary and Alfred wrote The Economics of Industry together, published in 1879. Alfred disliked the book, however, and it eventually went out of print, even with moderate demand for it.
Mary, a firm friend of Eleanor Sidgwick, kept up her association with Newnham College: she was an Associate from 1893 to 1912, twice (1891-4, 1907-9) a member of the College Council, and one of the original trustees of the Mary Anne Ewart Trust. Yet her husband Alfred became increasingly obstructive to the cause of women's education, believing that women had nothing useful to say. When Cambridge began to consider giving women degrees, he forsook friendships and respect to go against the movement. Mary was nevertheless totally devoted to her husband, and an important unofficial collaborator in his own economic writings. Alfred's major theoretical work was Principles of Economics: he is mentioned as the only author, but Mary may have done quite as much work as he did on the book.
Upon Alfred’s death in 1924, Mary became Honorary Librarian of The Marshall Library of Economics
The Marshall Library of Economics
The Marshall Library of Economics at Cambridge University is the outgrowth of a Moral Sciences Library begun in 1885 by Professor Alfred Marshall and Professor Henry Sidgwick, consisting largely of their own books and housed in the School of Divinity....
at Cambridge, to which she donated her husband's collection of articles and books on economics. She continued to live in Balliol Croft until her death in 1944. Her ashes were scattered in the garden.
Mary Paley Marshall's reminiscences were published posthumously as What I Remember (1947).