Sir John Arthur Ransome Marriott (17 August 1859 – 6 June 1945) was a British educationist, historian, and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

member of parliament (MP). Marriott taught modern history at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

from 1884 to 1920. He was an Honorary fellow, formerly fellow, lecturer and tutor in modern History, of

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms ...

. He was the

MP for

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

from 1917 to 1922, and for

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

from 1923 to 1929. After defeat in 1929, he retired from active politics. During the course of his lifetime, Marriott wrote more than forty books on British and European history, as well as current political subjects. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in 1924.

Early life

He was born in Bowdon, Cheshire, the son of Francis Marriott, a solicitor from a family of small landowners, and his wife Elizabeth Ransome, daughter of the surgeon Joseph Atkinson Ransome. He was educated at

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in the English public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England. Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school whi ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at ...

, graduating in 1882 with a Second in Modern History. As an undergraduate, he was an active member of the Canning Club, a Conservative society.

Educationist and historian

In 1883, Marriott became a lecturer in Modern History at New College, and soon after at

Worcester College Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...

, of which he became a Fellow in 1914. In 1886, he was recruited by M. E. Sadler as an Oxford University extension lecturer, to give lectures in towns across the country. He was a "natural platform orator... notable for characteristic gestures and the full sweep of his gown". In 1895, he became secretary of the Extension delegacy, which he remained until 1920. Marriott wrote prolifically, on modern English and European history, the British Empire, and on political institutions. His books, aimed at a non-specialist audience, benefitted from his experience as an extension lecturer.

Politician

Marriott had been politically active as an undergraduate, and in 1885 was adopted as the Conservative candidate for East St Pancras, although he later withdrew. In 1886, he was selected for

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Bor ...

but lost in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

to the defending Liberal,

Thomas Bayley Potter Thomas Bayley Potter DL, JP (29 November 1817 – 6 November 1898) was an English merchant in Manchester and Liberal Party politician. Early life Born in Polefield, Lancashire, he was the second son of Sir Thomas Potter and his wife Esther ...

. He applied for selection as Conservative candidate for the

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

by-election in 1914, but was not successful. In 1917, he was elected unopposed under the

war-time electoral pact The war-time electoral pact was an electoral pact established by the member parties of the UK coalition governments in the First World War, and re-established in the Second World War. Under the pact, in the event of a by-election only the party whi ...

to represent

Oxford City Oxford City Football Club is a semi-professional English association football club based in Marston, Oxford. They currently compete in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and play their home matches at Marsh Lane. ...

in the by-election following the elevation to a UK peerage of Lord Valentia. Re-elected in 1918 (in the so-called

Coupon Election The 1918 United Kingdom general election was called immediately after the Armistice with Germany which ended the First World War, and was held on Saturday, 14 December 1918. The governing coalition, under Prime Minister David Lloyd George, sent ...

), he lost his seat in the general election of 1922 to

Frank Gray Francis Tierney Gray (born 27 October 1954) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He played for Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Darlington, while he also represented Scotland 32 times. Gray has managed Darlington, ...

, the Liberal. Marriott returned to parliament in

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

for

, defending his seat successfully in the 1924 general election, but lost in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

to a Labour candidate, Frederick George Burgess.

Personal life

In 1891, Marriott married Henrietta Robinson, daughter of William Percy Robinson, warden of

Trinity College, Glenalmond Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. ...

, and they had one daughter, Cicely, in 1892. He died in

Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powy ...

on 6 June 1945.

Works

''George Canning and his Times: A Political Study,''
John Murray, 1903.
''The Life and Times of Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland,''
G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1907.
''The Remaking of Modern Europe from the Outbreak of the French Revolution to the Treaty of Berlin, 1789-1878,''
Methuen & Co., 1910

st Pub. 1909 ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

''Second Chambers: an Inductive Study in Political Science,''
Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1910.
''English Political Institutions; an Introductory Study,''
Oxford : The Clarendon Press, 1913.
''The French Revolution of 1848 in its Economic Aspect''2 Vol.
Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1913.
''England Since Waterloo,''
G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1916

st Pub. 1913 ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

*
''English History in Shakspeare,''
E.P. Dutton Company, 1918.
''Europe and Beyond,''
E. P. Dutton & Company, 1921; ''Europe and beyond: a preliminary survey of world-politics 1870-1939'' (1951)
''Economics and Ethics: A Treatise on Wealth and Life,''
Methuen & Co., 1923. * ''Makers of Modern Italy: Napoleon-Mussolini,'' Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1931. * ''The English in India: A Problem of Politics,'' 1932. * ''Queen Victoria and her ministers'' (1933) * ''The life of John Colet'' (1933) * ''Oxford: its place in national history'' (1933) * ''Modern England'' (1934) 4th ed 1948 published as ''Modern England: 1885-1945: A history of my own times'' * ''Castlereagh,'' 1936. * ''Commonwealth or Anarchy?: A Survey of Projects of Peace, from the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century,'' Oxford University Press, 1939

st Pub. 1937 ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosoph ...

* ''English History in English Fiction,'' Blackie & Son, 1940. * ''The Tragedy of Europe,'' Blackie & Son, 1941. * ''Anglo-Russian Relations, 1689-1943,'' Methuen & Co., 1944. * ''Memories of Four Score Years: The Autobiography of the Late Sir John Marriott,'' Blackie & Son Limited, 1946. * ''A history of Europe from 1815 to 1939'' (1948) * ''The Evolution of Prussia The Making of an Empire'' Oxford University Press, 1915. Joint authorship with Sir Charles Grant Robertson

Articles

"The 'Right to Work',"
''

The Nineteenth Century and After ''The Nineteenth Century'' was a British monthly literary magazine founded in 1877 by James Knowles. It is regarded by historians as 'one of the most important and distinguished monthlies of serious thought in the last quarter of the nineteenth ...

,'' Vol. LXIII, January/June 1908.
"Democracy, Diplomacy and War,"
''

The Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...

,'' Vol. CCXXII, N°. 454, October 1915.
"The Hellenic Factor in the Problem of the Near East,"
''The Edinburgh Review,'' Vol. CCXXIII, N°. 445, January, 1916.
"The Foreign Policy of the United States,"
''The Edinburgh Review,'' Vol. CCXXIX, N°. 468, April 1919.
"Swiss Democracy,"
''The Edinburgh Review,'' Vol. CCXXXII, N°. 474, October 1920.
"The Party System and Parliamentary Government,"
''The Edinburgh Review,'' Vol. CCXXXIV, N°. 478, October 1921. * "Under-Garrisoned Dominions," ''The Living Age,'' December 1937.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marriott, John 1859 births 1945 deaths British historians Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Fellows of Worcester College, Oxford Knights Bachelor UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 People from Altrincham People educated at Repton School Alumni of New College, Oxford