Mary Ward (suffragist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Ward
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Mary Martin (later Ward) in about 1875
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Mary Jane Martin
6 June 1851 |
| Died | 14 March 1933 (aged 81) Caldy, The Wirral, England
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Suffragist, lecturer, writer |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
Mary Jane Ward (born Martin; June 6, 1851 – March 14, 1933), known to her friends as 'Minnie', was an Irish woman who lived in Cambridge. She was a strong supporter of women's right to vote, a teacher, and a writer. Even though she didn't go to a regular school, she was accepted to study at Newnham Hall (now Newnham College) at the Cambridge University in 1879. She was the first woman to pass a special exam called the moral sciences tripos with top honors. She taught at the college and stayed connected with it for many years.
Mary Ward fought for women to have the same chances as men to get a university education. She also worked hard for women's right to vote. She was an active member of the Ladies Dining Society, a special group of women in Cambridge who shared similar ideas. From 1905, she was the honorary secretary for the Cambridge branch of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies and its later group, the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship. Her play Man and Woman, written in 1908, became a popular way for local groups supporting women's right to vote to raise money.
Her husband was James Ward, who was a professor at Cambridge.
Early Life
Mary Martin was born in Armagh, Ireland, on June 6, 1851. She was the third of twelve children. Her father was a minister in a Congregational church. Mary was taught at home by her mother. Her mother's family money was set up so that only male family members could inherit it. This meant there wasn't much money for Mary to go to school.
When she was fifteen, her family moved to Royston in Hertfordshire, England. Mary then worked as a pupil-teacher for a year at a school in Hampstead. A pupil-teacher was someone who helped teach younger students while also learning themselves. After that, she kept learning on her own while working as a governess. A governess was a woman who lived with a family and taught their children at home.
In the mid-1870s, her older brother, Henry Newell Martin, offered to help her study at Cambridge. Henry was a physiologist, which is a scientist who studies how living things work. Mary needed to win a scholarship in a test called the Higher Local Examination, which she did. In 1876, Henry moved to start teaching physiology at Johns Hopkins University. That same year, Mary began her studies at the new Newnham Hall (later Newnham College). At 25, 'Minnie' was described as looking young for her age, pretty, cheerful, eager, and a bit shy.
Life in Cambridge
As a student at Cambridge, Mary Martin cared a lot about women's education. She campaigned for women to have the same chances as men to study at university. She also pushed for women to be allowed to take the university's important exams, called tripos examinations, just like men. In 1879, she took her final exams in the moral sciences tripos. She passed with top honors, becoming the first woman ever to do so. From 1880, she became a resident lecturer in moral sciences at Newnham College. This meant she lived at the college and taught there.
In the early 1880s, Mary attended lectures given by James Ward. He was a fellow at Trinity College and later became a professor of philosophy. James Ward also strongly supported women's education. Mary and James got married in Nottingham on July 31, 1884. They settled in Cambridge in a house built for them. They had two daughters and one son.
People said that Mary Ward (after she married) would speak quickly and excitedly when she was passionate. She felt there were many important things to fight for in life. She was very enthusiastic about making sure men and women were treated equally. She spent a lot of time working for the movement that supported women's right to vote. She had strong opinions on many topics, especially about the suffering of people and animals.
From 1890 until 1914, Mary was a member of the Ladies Dining Society. This was a special group for women to discuss important issues. It was started by Kathleen Lyttelton and Louise Creighton, who were also wives of Cambridge professors. Mary continued to be involved with Newnham College after she got married. She became a member of the college council from 1890. She also wrote short political stories for Punch magazine and articles about philosophy for a journal called Mind.
In 1905, Mary Ward became the Honorary Secretary of the Cambridge Women's Suffrage Association (CWSA). This group was connected to the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). She held this role until 1915. By 1909, meetings for the group were even held at her home.
In April 1908, her two-act play Man and Woman was performed in London. The newspaper for women's suffrage, Votes for Women, said it was "sometimes quite lively and amusing." Ward had the play printed in 1911. She gave copies to groups supporting women's right to vote, and they could sell them and return any unsold copies. The money earned from the play went to the cause. It became popular over the next few years. In 1911, one performance made £10 profit for a group Ward helped start, called the Eastern Counties Federation of the NUWSS. The play featured a main character, Helen Chester, who was very hopeful and convinced another woman that voting was important.
Mary Ward did not agree with the violent actions that some suffragettes were starting to use. In May 1913, she and Margaret Heitland signed a letter protesting how newspapers focused on the militant actions of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). They pointed out that their own group "has always condemned every form of violence." She also didn't like how the government treated women who were arrested for their protests. Because of this, she quit the Liberal Party in protest. In 1913, she joined the NUWSS Great Pilgrimage, leading a group from Cambridge on a march to London.
During the Great War, Ward ran a soup kitchen in Cambridge. She noticed there were many unemployed Belgian refugees. She created a project called the 'Belgian Soldiers' Comfort Fund'. This project helped Belgian refugee women make clothes for the soldiers. She ran the project and raised money for it. It was reported that about 6500 garments were sent from her own house. Each item had a special tag saying it was a gift from England made by Belgian refugee women.
In 1918, Ward became the honorary secretary for the Cambridge branch of the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship. This group was the successor to the NUWSS. She held this position until 1923.
Move to The Wirral
After her husband died in 1925, Mary Ward left Cambridge. She moved to live with her daughter in Caldy on The Wirral. There, she wrote a book called Memories of Kenneth Martin Ward. This book was to remember her son, who was a physics professor at University College, Rangoon. He died in 1927 at the age of 39.
Death
Mary Ward died on March 14, 1933, at her daughter's home in Caldy. She was 81 years old.
Select Publications
- "On the birth of Olwen" (poem, 1890). Published in To Sing Out Sometimes: Poems of a Family (1982) (M Ward, AY Campbell, et al.)
- Man and Woman: The Question of the Day (play, 1908, printed 1911)
- Memories of Kenneth Martin Ward
