London Phonographer - Marian Sutton Marshall

Marian Sutton Marshall (; 12 September 1846 – 7 April 1901) was an English typist and

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

Biography

Mary Anne Broadbent, later known as Marianne or Marian, was born on 12 September 1846 at

Lockwood, Huddersfield Lockwood is an area of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is to the southwest of Huddersfield Town Centre, to the west of the River Holme. History Lockwood was originally called ''North Croslan ...

, to William Broadbent, a tea dealer, and Anne Thornton. When her education was complete she went with her mother and sister to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. She married, on 1 June 1870 at

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

, a Deputy Assistant Commissary General to the War office, Thomas Sutton Marshall. After some time, the marriage fell through and the two separated. Now having to independently support herself she entered the world of work as a typist for novelist

Charles Reade Charles Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) was a British novelist and dramatist, best known for the 1861 historical novel '' The Cloister and the Hearth''. Life Charles Reade was born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, to John Reade and Anne Marie Sco ...

, with her first work being typing up his novel '' Christie Johnstone''. She gained a reputation for speed and accuracy, and in 1884 established the 'Ladies Type-Writing Office', possibly the first such institution. Among the clients for this business was

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, who trusted her so much that he wanted her office to undertake typist work on '' De Profundis''. He would later mention in a letter to

Robbie Ross Robert Baldwin Ross (25 May 18695 October 1918) was a British journalist, art critic and art dealer, best known for his relationship with Oscar Wilde, to whom he was a devoted friend, lover and literary executor. A grandson of the Canadian r ...

that "Mrs Marshall can be relied on." In 1889 she founded the Society of Typists (Later the National Union of Typists) to represent the interest of type-writers, and is thought to have been a good organiser and orator in this regard. In 1891 she was made the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

first examiner in type-writing, a position she held for the rest of her life. She was prolific in her contributions to the press in her areas of expertise, contributing articles on shorthand and typewriting as an employment opportunity for women to publications such as ''

The Queen's Journal ''The Queen's Journal'' is the main student-run newspaper at Queen's University at Kingston in Kingston, Ontario. The paper was founded in 1873 and has been continually publishing ever since. It is as old as ''The Harvard Crimson'', the oldest ...

'', '' The Phonetic Journal'', ''

The Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed i ...

'', ''

St James's Gazette The ''St James's Gazette'' was a London evening newspaper published from 1880 to 1905. It was founded by the Conservative Henry Hucks Gibbs, later Baron Aldenham, a director of the Bank of England 1853–1901 and its governor 1875–1877; the ...

'', ''

Tit-Bits ''Tit-Bits from all the interesting Books and Newspapers of the World'', more commonly known as ''Tit-Bits'' and later as ''Titbits'', was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes, a founding figure in popular journalism, on 22 Octo ...

'', among others. She also published a short pamphlet on the subject in 1892 entitled ''Type-Writing Cards for Use in Offices and Schools''. London Phonographer - Marian Marshall - In Office

London Phonographer - Marian Marshall - In Office

In 1892 Marshall moved out of London due to ill-health and settled in Cambridge where she soon established the Cambridge University Type-Writing Office which was patronised by University faculty. It was also in Cambridge that she and her 'lieutenant' Miss Riddell started a shorthand class to teach students at the university improved note taking. She was a consistent member of the Women's Suffrage Society and attended the 1899 International Congress of Women Workers in London representing the Liberal women of Cambridge, where she gave a speech on general education of women and business training in shorthand and typewriting. Marshall died on 7 April 1901, aged 53, of cancer in London, having moved back after she sold her business in Cambridge due to her worsening health the previous year. She was buried in Hammersmith old cemetery.

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* * * * * * * * {{Refend English trade unionists 1846 births 1901 deaths Typists