Marnie Bassett
Encyclopedia
Flora Marjorie Bassett (30 June 1889 – 3 February1980) was an Australia
n historian
and biographer
.
, a professor of chemistry, and his wife Mary, née Struthers. She grew up in and around the University of Melbourne
. Bassett received most of her education at home from a governesses, although when she was 17 for three months she attended a girls' grammar school run by the Church of England. She became her father's secretary, but managed to attend history lectures at the university, particularly those of Ernest Scott. Scott encouraged her historical studies, and in 1913 she published a note in the University Review on the founding of the University of Melbourne.
During World War I
she was a secretary to various military hospital directors, and was transferred to England in 1916. On the way, her ship, the Arabia was torpedoed and she was forced to escape in a life boat. After the war she returned home and met and married Walter E. Bassett, an engineer. They were married on 25 January 1923, and had several children. As her children grew older, Bassett began to write in earnest.
's wife, Anna Josepha King, the first woman to come to Australia as a governor's wife. This was a very early entry in the field that became Women's history
. This was followed by The Hentys (1954), an account of the Henty family's trials along the Swan River
, in Van Diemen's Land
and finally in the Port Phillip District now in Victoria
. This book has been praised as "combining diligent research, intelligent handling of historical evidence, and a prose style that is clear and harmonious." Bassett wrote many articles for the Australian Dictionary of Biography
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and biographer
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
.
Life
Bassett was born in Melbourne to academic parents, Sir David Orme MassonDavid Orme Masson
Sir David Orme Masson KBE FRS was a scientist born in England who emigrated to Australia to become Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne.-Early life:...
, a professor of chemistry, and his wife Mary, née Struthers. She grew up in and around the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. Bassett received most of her education at home from a governesses, although when she was 17 for three months she attended a girls' grammar school run by the Church of England. She became her father's secretary, but managed to attend history lectures at the university, particularly those of Ernest Scott. Scott encouraged her historical studies, and in 1913 she published a note in the University Review on the founding of the University of Melbourne.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
she was a secretary to various military hospital directors, and was transferred to England in 1916. On the way, her ship, the Arabia was torpedoed and she was forced to escape in a life boat. After the war she returned home and met and married Walter E. Bassett, an engineer. They were married on 25 January 1923, and had several children. As her children grew older, Bassett began to write in earnest.
Selected works
The Governor's Lady (1940) was a study of Philip Gidley KingPhilip Gidley King
Captain Philip Gidley King RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. He is best known as the official founder of the first European settlement on Norfolk Island and as the third Governor of New South Wales.-Early years and establishment of Norfolk Island settlement:King was born...
's wife, Anna Josepha King, the first woman to come to Australia as a governor's wife. This was a very early entry in the field that became Women's history
Women's history
Women's history is the study of the role that women have played in history, together with the methods needed to study women. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights throughout recorded history, the examination of individual women of historical significance, and the...
. This was followed by The Hentys (1954), an account of the Henty family's trials along the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
, in Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
and finally in the Port Phillip District now in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. This book has been praised as "combining diligent research, intelligent handling of historical evidence, and a prose style that is clear and harmonious." Bassett wrote many articles for the Australian Dictionary of Biography
Australian Dictionary of Biography
The Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
.
Awards
- 1968 Honorary Doctorate in Literature degree from Monash UniversityMonash UniversityMonash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
- 1969 foundation fellow of the Australian Academy of the HumanitiesAustralian Academy of the HumanitiesThe Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia...
- 1971 Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of VictoriaRoyal Historical Society of VictoriaThe Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a community organisation promoting the history of the state of Victoria, Australia. It functions to promote and research the history of that state after settlement, and as an umbrella organisation for more than 300 affiliated societies.It is operated by...
- 1974 Honorary Doctorate in Literature degree from the University of Melbourne