Mary Vivian Hughes
Encyclopedia
Mary Vivian Hughes usually known as Molly Hughes and published under M. V. Hughes, was a British
educator and author.
The daughter of a London stockbroker, she was born Mary Thomas and passed most of her childhood in Canonbury
, under the watchful eyes of four older brothers. Her father, a modestly successful stockbroker, became caught up in a financial scandal and committed suicide in 1879.
She attended the North London Collegiate School
and a Cambridge teachers' training college, and was later awarded her BA in London.
As head of the training department at Bedford College from 1892 until 1897, she played an important role in expanding and rationalizing the teacher training curriculum. Molly Thomas married barrister-at-law Arthur Hughes (1857–1918) from Garneddwen
in 1897, after an engagement of nearly ten years; they had one daughter and three sons. After her husband's death, she returned to work as an educational inspector. Her first book, About England, was published in 1927. She died in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1956.
Hughes is best known for a series of four lively memoirs, A London Child of the 1870s, A London Girl of the 1880s, A London Home in the 1890s, and A London Family Between the Wars. Hughes's stated purpose in these books is "to show that Victorian children did not have such a dull time as is usually supposed." Her books are a valuable source on women's education and women's work in the late Victorian period; in particular, A London Girl of the 1880s provides an unparalleled portrait of life in a Victorian women's college. Some of Hughes's books are illustrated by her own drawings and her brother Charles's paintings.
Molly's portrait and those of her children were featured in a recent local history, The Cuffley
Story (ISBN 0-9549508-0-1) published by Tewin Orchard in 2005, (see tewinorchard.co.uk) which also features many of the superb watercolours produced by her son Vivian when they lived in the village, just to the north of London. When Molly moved to Tolmers Road in Cuffley with her three sons in 1920, Vivian started to paint the village farms and countryside with enthusiasm. Their home was half of Herbert and Maud Gray's cottage, number 58, and Molly featured the family in her account of the Cuffley years in 'A London Family Between the Wars'. Cuffley had become famous for the fall of the first German airship (SL 11) on British soil, shot down by RFC Captain William Leefe Robinson VC. Her son Arthur remained a life-long friend of the young Gray family, Joan and Jack, who had been photographed on the wreckage of the airship. He gave Vivian's watercolours to Joan when he retired and they are a special feature of The Cuffley Story. The book was written by the established local historian Patricia Klijn with Michael Clark, who inherited the pictures from his mother and prepared a catalogue as an appendix in the book covering all the known Cuffley and Northaw Parish works. Molly was camera-shy and the three pictures of her in the book are the only ones traced by the authors. Jack Gray, who was the 'little boy next door' to her in his childhood, described her writings as 'just simple accounts of her family, experiences, and observations of life, which, because they are so well written, are timeless, fascinating and will be enjoyed for all time. They just keep you reading. She was an outstanding person.'
United Kingdom
The 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...
educator and author.
The daughter of a London stockbroker, she was born Mary Thomas and passed most of her childhood in Canonbury
Canonbury
Canonbury is a residential district in the London Borough of Islington in the north of London. It is roughly in the area between Essex Road, Upper Street and Cross Street and either side of St Paul's Road....
, under the watchful eyes of four older brothers. Her father, a modestly successful stockbroker, became caught up in a financial scandal and committed suicide in 1879.
She attended the North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School is an independent day school for girls founded in 1850 in Camden Town, and now in the London Borough of Harrow.The Good Schools Guide called the school an "Academically stunning outer London school in a glorious setting which, in 2003, demonstrated its refusal to rest...
and a Cambridge teachers' training college, and was later awarded her BA in London.
As head of the training department at Bedford College from 1892 until 1897, she played an important role in expanding and rationalizing the teacher training curriculum. Molly Thomas married barrister-at-law Arthur Hughes (1857–1918) from Garneddwen
Garneddwen
Garneddwen is a hamlet in the south of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies in the valley of the Afon Dulas in the Meirionnydd area.It consists primarily of a single row of terraced houses, built for the workers at Aberllefenni Slate Quarry....
in 1897, after an engagement of nearly ten years; they had one daughter and three sons. After her husband's death, she returned to work as an educational inspector. Her first book, About England, was published in 1927. She died in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1956.
Hughes is best known for a series of four lively memoirs, A London Child of the 1870s, A London Girl of the 1880s, A London Home in the 1890s, and A London Family Between the Wars. Hughes's stated purpose in these books is "to show that Victorian children did not have such a dull time as is usually supposed." Her books are a valuable source on women's education and women's work in the late Victorian period; in particular, A London Girl of the 1880s provides an unparalleled portrait of life in a Victorian women's college. Some of Hughes's books are illustrated by her own drawings and her brother Charles's paintings.
Molly's portrait and those of her children were featured in a recent local history, The Cuffley
Cuffley
Cuffley is a village in the Welwyn Hatfield district of south-east Hertfordshire located between Cheshunt and Potters Bar. It has a population of just over 4,000 people. Politically, Cuffley is part of Broxbourne Constituency in the House of Commons, and sends a Councillor to Hertfordshire County...
Story (ISBN 0-9549508-0-1) published by Tewin Orchard in 2005, (see tewinorchard.co.uk) which also features many of the superb watercolours produced by her son Vivian when they lived in the village, just to the north of London. When Molly moved to Tolmers Road in Cuffley with her three sons in 1920, Vivian started to paint the village farms and countryside with enthusiasm. Their home was half of Herbert and Maud Gray's cottage, number 58, and Molly featured the family in her account of the Cuffley years in 'A London Family Between the Wars'. Cuffley had become famous for the fall of the first German airship (SL 11) on British soil, shot down by RFC Captain William Leefe Robinson VC. Her son Arthur remained a life-long friend of the young Gray family, Joan and Jack, who had been photographed on the wreckage of the airship. He gave Vivian's watercolours to Joan when he retired and they are a special feature of The Cuffley Story. The book was written by the established local historian Patricia Klijn with Michael Clark, who inherited the pictures from his mother and prepared a catalogue as an appendix in the book covering all the known Cuffley and Northaw Parish works. Molly was camera-shy and the three pictures of her in the book are the only ones traced by the authors. Jack Gray, who was the 'little boy next door' to her in his childhood, described her writings as 'just simple accounts of her family, experiences, and observations of life, which, because they are so well written, are timeless, fascinating and will be enjoyed for all time. They just keep you reading. She was an outstanding person.'
Published works
- The King of Kings (1903)
- [With M.M. Penstone] The story of Christ's first missioners: biographical lessons on the acts of the apostles intended for use with scholars between the ages of eleven and fourteen nd (1910), National Society's Depository.
- About England (1927)
- America's England (1930)
- London at Home (1931)
- City Saints (1932)
- A London Child of the 1870s (1934) (Republished in 2005 by Persephone BooksPersephone BooksPersephone Books is an independent publisher based in Bloomsbury, London. Founded in 1999 by Nicola Beauman, Persephone has a catalogue of 93 "neglected novels, diaries, poetry, short stories, non-fiction, biography and cookery books, mostly by women and mostly dating from the early to...
) - Vivians (1935)
- A London Girl of the 1880s (1936)
- A London Home in the 1890s (1937)
- A London Family Between the Wars (1940)
- From Baptism to Holy Communion: Lessons on the Church Catechism (1951)