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The definitive biography of the Victorian educator Charlotte Mason, revealing new information about her background and her importance in woman's education.
As the acknowledged founder and philosopher of the Parents' National Educational Union (PNEU), Charlotte Mason was revered by her followers as a saintly Madonna figure. She died in 1923 at the peak of her fame, having achieved mythic status as the Principal of her House of Education and wide recognition after the introduction of her liberal educational programmes into state schools. Yet her early life and heritage remained shrouded in mystery. Drawing upon insubstantiated sources, the official biography released in 1960 confused rather than illuminated Charlotte's background, contributing to several enduring misapprehensions.
In her new and definitive biography, Margaret Coombs draws on years of research to reveal for the first time the hidden backdrop to Charlotte Mason's life, tracing the lives of her previously undiscovered Quaker ancestors to offer a better understanding of the roots of her personality and ideas. Coombs charts her rise from humble beginnings as an orphaned pupil-teacher to great heights as a lady of culture venerated within prestigious PNEU circles, illustrating how with determination she surmounted the Victorian age's rigid class divisions to achieve her educational vision. A thorough analysis of Charlotte Mason's educational influences and key friendships challenges longstanding notions about the roots of her philosophy, offering a more realistic picture of her life and work than ever accomplished before.
With a growing following in the USA and Australia, Charlotte Mason's ideas have a clear relevance to the continuing educational debate today. Admirers of her philosophy and scholars of the history of education will fi nd much to enthral and instruct them in these pages.
As the acknowledged founder and philosopher of the Parents' National Educational Union (PNEU), Charlotte Mason was revered by her followers as a saintly Madonna figure. She died in 1923 at the peak of her fame, having achieved mythic status as the Principal of her House of Education and wide recognition after the introduction of her liberal educational programmes into state schools. Yet her early life and heritage remained shrouded in mystery. Drawing upon insubstantiated sources, the official biography released in 1960 confused rather than illuminated Charlotte's background, contributing to several enduring misapprehensions.
In her new and definitive biography, Margaret Coombs draws on years of research to reveal for the first time the hidden backdrop to Charlotte Mason's life, tracing the lives of her previously undiscovered Quaker ancestors to offer a better understanding of the roots of her personality and ideas. Coombs charts her rise from humble beginnings as an orphaned pupil-teacher to great heights as a lady of culture venerated within prestigious PNEU circles, illustrating how with determination she surmounted the Victorian age's rigid class divisions to achieve her educational vision. A thorough analysis of Charlotte Mason's educational influences and key friendships challenges longstanding notions about the roots of her philosophy, offering a more realistic picture of her life and work than ever accomplished before.
With a growing following in the USA and Australia, Charlotte Mason's ideas have a clear relevance to the continuing educational debate today. Admirers of her philosophy and scholars of the history of education will fi nd much to enthral and instruct them in these pages.
Price: $39.95
Pages: 376
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: Lutterworth Press
Publication Date:
24 September 2015
Trim Size: 9.17 X 6.10 in
ISBN: 9780718894023
Format: Paperback
This book presents a well-written and scholarly account of Charlotte Mason and her world, placing her firmly in the great tradition of Quaker thinkers, and tracing her development as an educationalist and the influences upon her. The importance of her Quaker background, which has never been explored before, sheds new light on the formation of her educational principles, which are still practised in our schools today.
— Heather Eggins, Visiting Professor of Education, University of Sussex
It is to Margaret Coombs' great credit that she has woven an excellent, imaginative and fascinating story of the well-known educator.
— Miriam David, Professor Emerita of Sociology of Education, UCL Institute of Education
The story of Charlotte Mason, long seen through the lens of Essex Cholmondeley and her predominantly mythical panegyric, has now reached a higher form of clarity, historical rigour, and accuracy through this new work by Margaret Coombs. Archival work can be frustrating, time-consuming, and yet rewarding. Here we find one such productive example. In these pages, the early life and educational philosophy of Mason come to life in an engaging and well-researched narrative that helps dispel the romanticised and inauthentic picture that has been perpetuated in current circles. Critical readers will find much here to ponder as the historical veil that has long obfuscated Mason's life becomes more transparent.
— Dr Jack Edward Beckman, Professor of Education, Covenant College
... I always felt that the real Charlotte Mason was an enigma. What explains her innovative ideas and her determined, charismatic personality? This scholarly and engaging book provides definitive answers and reveals the origins of Charlotte Mason's passion for social justice. ... all readers of this book will have a more complete understanding of this amazing person, of her considerable achievements and continuing importance.
— Dr Hilary Cooper, Emeritus Professor of History and Pedagogy, University of Cumbria
— Heather Eggins, Visiting Professor of Education, University of Sussex
It is to Margaret Coombs' great credit that she has woven an excellent, imaginative and fascinating story of the well-known educator.
— Miriam David, Professor Emerita of Sociology of Education, UCL Institute of Education
The story of Charlotte Mason, long seen through the lens of Essex Cholmondeley and her predominantly mythical panegyric, has now reached a higher form of clarity, historical rigour, and accuracy through this new work by Margaret Coombs. Archival work can be frustrating, time-consuming, and yet rewarding. Here we find one such productive example. In these pages, the early life and educational philosophy of Mason come to life in an engaging and well-researched narrative that helps dispel the romanticised and inauthentic picture that has been perpetuated in current circles. Critical readers will find much here to ponder as the historical veil that has long obfuscated Mason's life becomes more transparent.
— Dr Jack Edward Beckman, Professor of Education, Covenant College
... I always felt that the real Charlotte Mason was an enigma. What explains her innovative ideas and her determined, charismatic personality? This scholarly and engaging book provides definitive answers and reveals the origins of Charlotte Mason's passion for social justice. ... all readers of this book will have a more complete understanding of this amazing person, of her considerable achievements and continuing importance.
— Dr Hilary Cooper, Emeritus Professor of History and Pedagogy, University of Cumbria
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
List of Illustrations
1. Introduction: Who Was Charlotte Mason?
2. A Westmoreland Quaker Heritage.
3. Charlotte Mason's Grandparents: Arthur Mason and Mary Gough 1744-1795.
4. Joshua Mason's Forty Years in Waterford 1795-1835.
5. Trouble at Staplestown Mills 1835-1841.
6. Charlotte Mason's Mysterious Childhood 1842-1852.
7. Pupil-Teaching at Holy Trinity School Birkenhead 1854-1859.
8. 'A Bud to be Unfolded'; At the Home and Colonial Training Institution 1860-1861.
9. Mistress of the Davison Memorial Infantine School in Worthing 1861-1873.
10. Senior Governess at the Gentlewomen's College in Chichester 1874-1878.
11. The Breakthrough in Bradford 1879-1888.
12. 'Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life' 1888-1893.
13. The 1894 Challenge and the Mason-Franklin Alliance 1894-1897.
14. The P.N.E.U. Educational Philosopher 1898-1905.
15. A Liberal Education for All 1905-1922.
16. The Unseen Presence 1923
Bibliography
Index
Mason Family Tree
Acknowledgements.
List of Illustrations
1. Introduction: Who Was Charlotte Mason?
2. A Westmoreland Quaker Heritage.
3. Charlotte Mason's Grandparents: Arthur Mason and Mary Gough 1744-1795.
4. Joshua Mason's Forty Years in Waterford 1795-1835.
5. Trouble at Staplestown Mills 1835-1841.
6. Charlotte Mason's Mysterious Childhood 1842-1852.
7. Pupil-Teaching at Holy Trinity School Birkenhead 1854-1859.
8. 'A Bud to be Unfolded'; At the Home and Colonial Training Institution 1860-1861.
9. Mistress of the Davison Memorial Infantine School in Worthing 1861-1873.
10. Senior Governess at the Gentlewomen's College in Chichester 1874-1878.
11. The Breakthrough in Bradford 1879-1888.
12. 'Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life' 1888-1893.
13. The 1894 Challenge and the Mason-Franklin Alliance 1894-1897.
14. The P.N.E.U. Educational Philosopher 1898-1905.
15. A Liberal Education for All 1905-1922.
16. The Unseen Presence 1923
Bibliography
Index
Mason Family Tree