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[[File:Ellen Wordsworth Darwin.jpg|thumb|right|Ellen Wordsworth Darwin]] |
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{{Short description|British academic (1856–1903)}} |
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'''Ellen Wordsworth Darwin''' (13 January 1856 – 28 August 1903) |
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{{Infobox person |
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Bornn Ellen Wordsworth Crofts, she was a cousin of [[Henry Sidgwick]]. She was a student at [[Newnham College, Cambridge|Newnham College]] in [[Cambridge]] from 1874 to 1847 and returned there to teach English literature from 1878 until 1883, but had to give it up after her marriage to the botanist [[Francis Darwin]].<ref name=Smith/><ref>Sir Francis Darwin (1848–1925), Thomas Junker https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/32717 - [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]: Published in print: 23 September 2004- Published online: 23 September 2004</ref> [[Bernard Darwin]], Francis Darwin's son with his late first wife, had been brought up by his grandmother [[Emma Darwin]] after the death of his mother days after his birth. On his father's marriage to Ellen Wordsworth Croft Bernard went to live with the newly-married couple. He wrote in his [[autobiography]] of his step-mother: "Ellen was always kind as could be in reading with me and playing with me, but there was always some feeling of reserve: perhaps she tried too hard to be a good stepmother and never to outstep those limits." She suffered a miscarriage in 1884 but gave birth to a daughter [[Frances Cornford|Frances]] in 1886.<ref>Tim M. Berra, [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s9UtcKptEJ4C&pg=PT172&lpg=PT172&dq ''Darwin and His Children: His Other Legacy''], Oxford University Press (2013) - Google Books</ref> |
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|name = Ellen Wordsworth Darwin |
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|image = Ellen Wordsworth Darwin (cropped).png |
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|caption = Ellen Wordsworth Darwin in 1903 |
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|birth_name = Ellen Wordsworth Crofts |
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| ⚫ | In the summer of 1888 Ellen Darwin wrote to her sister-in-law [[Ida Darwin]] to say that her friend [[Amy Levy]] was |
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|birth_date = {{birth date|1856|1|13|df=y}} |
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| ⚫ | Darwin was a member of the [[Ladies Dining Society]] - a private women's dining and discussion club |
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|birth_place = [[Leeds]], England |
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|death_date = {{death date and age|1903|8|28|1856|1|13|df=y}} |
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|death_place = |
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|spouse = {{marriage|[[Francis Darwin]]|1883}} |
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|children = [[Frances Cornford]] |
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|occupation = Academic, lecturer |
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}} |
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'''Ellen Wordsworth Darwin''' (née '''Crofts'''; 13 January 1856 – 28 August 1903) was an academic, a fellow and lecturer in English Literature at [[Newnham College, Cambridge|Newnham College]] in [[Cambridge]] (1879–1883), a member of the private and scholarly [[Ladies Dining Society]] at Cambridge and the second wife of the botanist [[Francis Darwin|Sir Francis Darwin]], son of [[Charles Darwin]]. Their daughter was the poet [[Frances Cornford]]. |
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==Family and early life== |
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Born Ellen Wordsworth Crofts in [[Leeds]], the daughter of Ellen ''née'' Wordsworth, the daughter of a Leeds industrialist, and John Crofts, a [[magistrate]] and [[worsted]] and woollen manufacturer,<ref>[https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8767/WRYRG9_3211_3214-0569?pid=9810066&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D8767%26h%3D9810066%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv2523%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv2523&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.192810602.1764080346.1578686736-1722705520.1534682038 1861 England Census for Ellen Wordsworth Crofts: Yorkshire, Ilkley - Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref> she was a cousin of the [[Utilitarianism|utilitarian]] philosopher and economist [[Henry Sidgwick]]. Her older brother was [[Ernest Crofts]] {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|RA}}, a painter of historical and military scenes. |
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==Later life== |
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A student at [[Newnham College, Cambridge]] between 1874 and 1877, she returned there to teach English literature from 1878. A close friend from her Newnham days was the British [[classics|classical]] scholar and [[linguistics|linguist]] [[Jane Ellen Harrison]]. Following her marriage in 1883 to [[Charles Darwin]]'s son, botanist [[Francis Darwin]], she had to relinquish her academic post.<ref name=Smith/><ref>[https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/32717 Sir Francis Darwin (1848–1925) profile by Thomas Junker] at [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]. Published 23 September 2004.</ref><ref>[https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61058/PAR126_1_R3_3_124?pid=900646722&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D61058%26h%3D900646722%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv2521%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv2521&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.205973075.1764080346.1578686736-1722705520.1534682038 Oxfordshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1930 for Ellen Wordsworth Crofts: Headington, St Andrew 1837 - 1886 - Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref> Francis already had a son from his first marriage. [[Bernard Darwin]] had been brought up by his grandparents [[Emma Darwin|Emma]] and [[Charles Darwin]] (and by Emma alone after the death of Charles in 1882).<ref>H. E. Litchfield (ed), [https://books.google.com/books?id=1-ppvm5C6CYC&pg=PA472 ''Emma Darwin, Wife of Charles Darwin: A Century of Family Letters''], Cambridge University Press (1904) - Google Books, pg. 334</ref> |
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Bernard went to live with the newly-married couple. In his [[autobiography]] he wrote that his stepmother "was always kind as could be in reading with me and playing with me, but there was always some feeling of reserve: perhaps she tried too hard to be a good stepmother and never to outstep those limits." Ellen suffered a miscarriage in 1884, giving birth to her surviving daughter [[Frances Cornford|Frances]] in 1886.<ref>Tim M. Berra, [https://books.google.com/books?id=s9UtcKptEJ4C&pg=PT172 ''Darwin and His Children: His Other Legacy''], Oxford University Press (2013). Accessed 5 October 2023.</ref> |
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| ⚫ | In the summer of 1888, Ellen Darwin wrote to her sister-in-law, [[Ida Darwin|Ida]], to say that her friend [[Amy Levy]] was intending to pay a visit, confiding: "She has written a novel, in which the heroine is partly me. I have not read it yet, but I don’t expect much: her stories and novels are rather saddening." Levy's second novel ''Reuben Sachs: A Sketch'' was published shortly afterwards and caused some controversy with its satirical description of a well-off [[British Jews|Anglo-Jewish]] community and its depiction of the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] marriage market.<ref>[https://akennedysmith.com/2016/10/14/written-with-the-hearts-blood-ellen-darwin-and-amy-levy/ The Ladies' Dining Society 1890-1914], akennedysmith.com. Accessed 5 October 2023.</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Ellen Darwin was a member of the [[Ladies Dining Society]] - a private women's dining and discussion club based at [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]] that had been founded in 1890 by the author [[Louise Creighton]] and the women's activist [[Kathleen Lyttelton]]. Its members, most of whom were married to Cambridge academics, were believers in women’s education and were active in the campaign to grant women Cambridge degrees. Most were strong supporters of [[Women's suffrage|female suffrage]]. Ellen was strongly [[Agnosticism|agnostic]] and took her discussions seriously, a friend observing "It was at once distracting and delightfully amusing to hear her say, as she not infrequently did, 'I know I’m right'".<ref name="Smith">[https://doi.org/10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.109658 "The Ladies Dining Society" (act. 1890–1914) by Ann Kennedy Smith] at ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''. Published 9 May 2018.</ref> |
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==Death== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:1856 births]] |
[[Category:1856 births]] |
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[[Category:1903 deaths]] |
[[Category:1903 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Academics from Leeds]] |
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[[Category:Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge]] |
[[Category:Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge]] |
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[[Category:Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge]] |
[[Category:Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge]] |
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[[Category:British women activists]] |
[[Category:British women activists]] |
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[[Category:British women's rights activists]] |
[[Category:British women's rights activists]] |
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[[Category:Women of the Victorian era]] |
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Latest revision as of 15:33, 26 April 2024
Ellen Wordsworth Darwin | |
|---|---|
.png) Ellen Wordsworth Darwin in 1903 | |
| Born | Ellen Wordsworth Crofts 13 January 1856 Leeds, England |
| Died | 28 August 1903 (aged 47) |
| Occupation(s) | Academic, lecturer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Frances Cornford |
Ellen Wordsworth Darwin (née Crofts; 13 January 1856 – 28 August 1903) was an academic, a fellow and lecturer in English Literature at Newnham College in Cambridge (1879–1883), a member of the private and scholarly Ladies Dining Society at Cambridge and the second wife of the botanist Sir Francis Darwin, son of Charles Darwin. Their daughter was the poet Frances Cornford.
Family and early life
[edit]Born Ellen Wordsworth Crofts in Leeds, the daughter of Ellen née Wordsworth, the daughter of a Leeds industrialist, and John Crofts, a magistrate and worsted and woollen manufacturer,[1] she was a cousin of the utilitarian philosopher and economist Henry Sidgwick. Her older brother was Ernest Crofts RA, a painter of historical and military scenes.
Later life
[edit]A student at Newnham College, Cambridge between 1874 and 1877, she returned there to teach English literature from 1878. A close friend from her Newnham days was the British classical scholar and linguist Jane Ellen Harrison. Following her marriage in 1883 to Charles Darwin's son, botanist Francis Darwin, she had to relinquish her academic post.[2][3][4] Francis already had a son from his first marriage. Bernard Darwin had been brought up by his grandparents Emma and Charles Darwin (and by Emma alone after the death of Charles in 1882).[5]
Bernard went to live with the newly-married couple. In his autobiography he wrote that his stepmother "was always kind as could be in reading with me and playing with me, but there was always some feeling of reserve: perhaps she tried too hard to be a good stepmother and never to outstep those limits." Ellen suffered a miscarriage in 1884, giving birth to her surviving daughter Frances in 1886.[6]
In the summer of 1888, Ellen Darwin wrote to her sister-in-law, Ida, to say that her friend Amy Levy was intending to pay a visit, confiding: "She has written a novel, in which the heroine is partly me. I have not read it yet, but I don’t expect much: her stories and novels are rather saddening." Levy's second novel Reuben Sachs: A Sketch was published shortly afterwards and caused some controversy with its satirical description of a well-off Anglo-Jewish community and its depiction of the Victorian marriage market.[7]
Ellen Darwin was a member of the Ladies Dining Society - a private women's dining and discussion club based at Cambridge University that had been founded in 1890 by the author Louise Creighton and the women's activist Kathleen Lyttelton. Its members, most of whom were married to Cambridge academics, were believers in women’s education and were active in the campaign to grant women Cambridge degrees. Most were strong supporters of female suffrage. Ellen was strongly agnostic and took her discussions seriously, a friend observing "It was at once distracting and delightfully amusing to hear her say, as she not infrequently did, 'I know I’m right'".[2]
Death
[edit]She died in 1903, aged 47, and is buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's church in Girton, Cambridgeshire.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ 1861 England Census for Ellen Wordsworth Crofts: Yorkshire, Ilkley - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
- ^ a b "The Ladies Dining Society" (act. 1890–1914) by Ann Kennedy Smith at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Published 9 May 2018.
- ^ Sir Francis Darwin (1848–1925) profile by Thomas Junker at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Published 23 September 2004.
- ^ Oxfordshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1930 for Ellen Wordsworth Crofts: Headington, St Andrew 1837 - 1886 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
- ^ H. E. Litchfield (ed), Emma Darwin, Wife of Charles Darwin: A Century of Family Letters, Cambridge University Press (1904) - Google Books, pg. 334
- ^ Tim M. Berra, Darwin and His Children: His Other Legacy, Oxford University Press (2013). Accessed 5 October 2023.
- ^ The Ladies' Dining Society 1890-1914, akennedysmith.com. Accessed 5 October 2023.