Person    | Female  Born 27/4/1759  Died 10/9/1797

Mary Wollstonecraft

Writer, philosopher and feminist before her time. Born Primrose Street, Spitalfields. Her radical book "Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792) in which she described marriage as "legal prostitution" caused great controversy. She went to France to see the revolution for herself. William Blake was a friend and illustrated some of her work. She had a passionate friendship with Fuseli who was married and probably bi-sexual. Mary had a daughter, Fanny, with the American chancer, Gilbert Imlay. On behalf of his business interests she travelled in Scandinavia, taking her baby with her. She married William Godwin (shocking some of their radical friends) in March 1797 and soon afterwards, her second daughter, Mary, was born but the mother died eleven days later, at the Polygon in Somers Town. At the age of 16 this daughter was to become Mary Shelley.

Mary Wollstonecraft was buried at St. Pancras' Churchyard (where she had been married only five months before). Godwin was buried with her in 1836, but in 1851 their remains were moved to St Peter's churchyard, Bournemouth when St. Pancras' churchyard was broken up for the railroad to St. Pancras' Station. The tombstone is still there. It does not appear as a memorial on this website (since we don't generally include graves) but by virtue of five other memorials the churchyard is well covered on this website and worth a visit; either virtual (start with Burdett-Coutts) or real.

Wollstonecraft set up a school in Newington Green. From Newington Green Primary School, Matthias Road: "There has been a school on this site since 1784, when Mary Wollstonecraft ... set up school for girls on this site, with her sister Eliza." But Roberta Wedge says: "The church and Richard Price’s house could be seen from the school which Mary Wollstonecraft ran from 1784-1786 but the exact site of the building is no longer there. The exact site of the school is unknown, but it may well have been on the north-east corner, roughly where Newington Green Primary School is today." Wikipedia says Wollstonecraft moved this school from Islington. This is when Wollstonecraft moved to Newington Green and became a good friend of Dr Richard Price, another radical thinker, and minister at Newington Green Unitarian Church – see actuarial science for Price’s other life. Although a lifelong Anglican Wollstonecraft was a member of the congregation at Price's church.

The Islington Tribune provides some explanation for the pink plaques at Newington Green: "Letters written by Ms Wollstonecraft with Jane Arden and Fanny Blood revealed passionate relationships beyond the boundaries of friendship. She also had an affair with artist Henry Fuseli and asked for a polyamorous relationship involving his wife."

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Wollstonecraft

Commemorated ati

Mary Wollstonecraft - E8

Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759 - 1797, author of 'A Vindication of the Right of Wo...

Read More

Mary Wollstonecraft - Islington's Pride

Mary Wollstonecraft The trailblazing feminist writer had passionate relations...

Read More

Mary Wollstonecraft - N16

Plaque unveiled by councillor Catherine West, leader of Islington Council, Un...

Read More

Mary Wollstonecraft - NW1

2019: Ann Pearson wrote questioning the absence of any reference on the plaqu...

Read More

Mary Wollstonecraft - SE1

Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759 - 1797, writer, teacher and champion of women's rig...

Read More

Show all 9

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Mary Wollstonecraft

Creations i

Mary Wollstonecraft, statue for

The quotation is from Wollstonecraft's 1792 'A Vindication of the Rights of W...

Read More

Other Subjects

Edward Pauncfort

Edward Pauncfort

Tory MP. Early in the 1700s he moved into Lauderdale House and took a great interest in Highgate. He became the treasurer and one of the governors of Highgate School and its Chapel. In Southwoo...

Person, Benefactor, Education, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
First Japanese students

First Japanese students

In 1863 five noblemen of the Choshu clan left Japan to study at UCL. No one from Japan had previously studied outside their own country and they had to keep their departure hidden from the governme...

Group, Education, Japan

1 memorial
Chiswick National School

Chiswick National School

Much of the following information comes from the very helpful Gill Clegg's Chiswick History page. 1707 a charity school was founded at St Nicholas church near the river. It expanded until in 1813 ...

Group, Education

1 memorial
Chelsea College of Art & Design

Chelsea College of Art & Design

From their website: "Chelsea College of Arts is one of London's most prestigious art and design colleges." From c.2005 based at the Millbank Prison site.

Group, Art, Craft / Design, Education

1 memorial
Gospel Lighthouse Mission

Gospel Lighthouse Mission

Our drawing, from Exploring Southwark,shows the building to the right of the Mission before the Club building arrived.This website also gives the history of the construction of the two buildings, a...

Building, Education, Property, Social Welfare

1 memorial