Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present
Maria Grey
-
Standard Name: Grey, Maria
Birth Name: Maria Georgina Shirreff
Married Name: Maria Georgina Grey
MG
wrote during the second half of the nineteenth century. Her early productions were literary: she collaborated with her sister
on a narrative and a novel, and then produced a second novel independently. Her later writings were political, arguing the need for improvements to women's education, as well as addressing issues relating to the suffrage movement. Through her writings and through direct action, MG
worked to ensure an improvement in opportunities for women's education.
ES
died in her home at 41 Stanhope Gardens, Queen's Gate, London, where she and her sister Maria
had lived since 1884.
Stephen, Sir Leslie, and Sidney Lee, editors. The Dictionary of National Biography. Smith, Elder, 1908–2025, 22 vols. plus supplements.
Education
Emily Shirreff
ES
' early education was primarily domestic. Her father employed Adele Piquet
, a French-Swiss governess who spoke no English, to educate Emily and Maria
. The girls' mother
also read to them and taught them needlepoint.
Ellsworth, Edward W. Liberators of the Female Mind: The Shirreff Sisters, Educational Reform, and the Women’s Movement. Greenwood, 1979.
8, 10
Family and Intimate relationships
Emily Shirreff
ES
had an elder sister, Caroline
, and two younger sisters, Maria
and Katherine
. Maria and Emily remained close all their lives, and published several collaborative works.
Blain, Virginia et al., editors. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present. Yale University Press; Batsford, 1990.
Ellsworth, Edward W. Liberators of the Female Mind: The Shirreff Sisters, Educational Reform, and the Women’s Movement. Greenwood, 1979.
9, 19-20
Family and Intimate relationships
Emily Shirreff
In 1841 ES
's sister Maria
married William Grey
. Given the sisters' close relationship, the marriage was difficult for Emily, and her health even deteriorated somewhat immediately following it. After a brief period, however...
Friends, Associates
Emily Shirreff
The pair frequently helped each other in their writing: Buckle was already working on his History of Civilisation in England. Maria Grey
said that his influence on ES
was that of a strong and...
Among the personal duties that the book identifies, is that of maintaining your own lawful freedom
Cobbe, Frances Power. The Duties of Women. G. H. Ellis, 1881.
83
as the indispensable condition of the whole moral life.
Cobbe, Frances Power. The Duties of Women. G. H. Ellis, 1881.
84
But freedom must be exercised properly, and Cobbe...
Occupation
Ann Bridge
Since, however, writing seemed unlikely to yield her a livelihood, she went immediately to work as assistant secretary for the Charity Organization Society
, Chelsea branch. This paid her twenty-three shillings a week, with hours...
Her sister
identified the reason that she left this position: she was confronted with a persistent opposition to her influence and views concerning governance of the institution.
Ellsworth, Edward W. Liberators of the Female Mind: The Shirreff Sisters, Educational Reform, and the Women’s Movement. Greenwood, 1979.
Founded in February 1875 by Beata Doreck
(who died in 1875 shortly after assuming the presidency of the new organization), Maria Grey
, and ES
, the Froebel Society promoted the kindergarten system advocated by...
Author summary
Catherine Maria Grey
CMG
was a popular silver-fork novelist, most commonly known as Mrs. Grey to her readers. Her works are often misattributed to her daughter Anna Maria Grey
, or to the unrelated Maria Georgina Grey
(1816-1906)...
Author summary
Emily Shirreff
ES
lived and wrote during the mid-nineteenth century. She was a keen educationalist, and many of her writings were essays, tracts, and pamphlets in which she argued the need for an improved education system. These...
Timeline
17 November 1871: The National Union for the Education of Girls...
