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 and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

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

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

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

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college 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 was ad ...

. He was the

MP for

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

from 1917 to 1922, and for

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

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 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, private, boarding and day school in the public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England. Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school which was th ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

, 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 a constituent college 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 was ad ...

, 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 town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

but lost in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

to the defending Liberal, Thomas Bayley Potter. He applied for selection as Conservative candidate for the

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

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 United Kingdom 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 A b ...

to represent Oxford City in the by-election following the elevation to a UK peerage of Lord Valentia. Re-elected in 1918 (in the so-called Coupon Election), he lost his seat in the general election of 1922 to Frank Gray, the Liberal. Marriott returned to parliament in

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

for

, defending his seat successfully in the 1924 general election, but lost in 1929 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, and they had one daughter, Cicely, in 1892. He died in Llandrindod Wells 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
''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 *
''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 * ''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,'' Vol. LXIII, January/June 1908.
"Democracy, Diplomacy and War,"
'' The 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