Person    | Female  Born 17/1/1828  Died 2/6/1907

Rose Mary Crawshay

Rose Mary Crawshay

Philanthropist, feminist, educationist. Born Rose Mary Yeates in Horton, Buckinghamshire, to William Willson Yeates and his first wife Mary. When she was seven three of her baby sisters died in quick succession, followed by her mother 3 years later. See her father's page for this sad story.

1846 she married Robert Thompson Crawshay (1817 - 1879) a wealthy 'ironmaster' of Merthyr Tydfil and was the mistress of the 72-roomed and 15-towered Cyfarthfa Castle until her husband's death in 1879. Though it produced 5 children her marriage was not happy, which may have some bearing on her campaigns for women's suffrage and the reform of matrimonial law. Also interested in education she joined school boards, one of the first women to do so. Created a literary prize for female scholars and created 7 free libraries insisting they were open to women (she had to do that!). Died at home, "Cathedine", Bwlch, Breconshire, Wales.

Andrew Behan has researched this lady and can add: The probate records show her estate totalled £19,852-0s-3d when she died and at the time of the 1871 census she was residing at her London address of 39 Wimpole Street.

Wikipedia has a page for Rose Mary and others for some of her Crawshay relatives and for Clissold Park. These together provide a family connection with the location of the memorial, Clissold Park. Rose Mary's husband's aunt, Eliza (or Elizabeth, depending on source) Crawshay and her husband, Reverend Augustus Clissold, owned Clissold Park. Rose Mary was widowed in 1879 and then in 1889 Clissold Park was opened to the public. Just 4 years after that Rose Mary had the fountain installed there, in memory of her three sisters who had died 60 years before.

Note: Her birthplace is sometimes given as Caversham Grove (her father's family home) but the official records give Horton Grove.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

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

Creations i

Yeates sisters

In memory of three sweet sisters aged 1, 3, 4, years, daughters of Wilson Yea...

Read More

Other Subjects

Lady Byron

Lady Byron

Born as Anne Isabella Milbanke, sometimes known as Annabella, an heiress in her own right. Unusually well-educated. An unwise marriage to Lord Byron in January 1815 lasted only a year but did produ...

Person, Education, Friend / family, Race Issues

1 memorial
Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital

Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital

From AIM: "Medical students at St Bartholomew's Hospital are first recorded in 1662. The School and the Hospital were formally separated in 1921, when the School was incorporated with a new title,...

Building, Education, Medicine

1 memorial
Alec Dickson

Alec Dickson

Community educationist. Born Alexander Graeme Dickson at Duxhill Lodge, Ruislip. He served in Africa in World War II, where he began to formulate his ideas for mass education. He returned in 1948 a...

Person, Education, Africa, Hungary

1 memorial
Royal College of Physicians

Royal College of Physicians

Founded by Thomas Linacre in 1518 with a charter granted by Henry VIII. Their first home was Linacre's own house in Knightrider Street. Their second home, at Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, was des...

Group, Education, Medicine

5 memorials
Holmwood

Holmwood

British History Online 1 gives "The mathematician Charles Babbage (1792-1871) and the novelist Captain Frederick Marryat (1792- 1848) attended a school run by the Revd. Stephen Freeman in a house i...

Building, Education

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Marchmont Association

Marchmont Association

Aims to promote the on-going improvement of Marchmont Street and the surrounding area for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors and to promote community spirit and a sense of shared res...

Group, Community / Clubs

27 memorials
Peggy Ashcroft

Peggy Ashcroft

Actor. Born Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon.

Person, Cinema, Theatre, TV & Radio

1 memorial