Jane Marcet 1769 – 1858

(née Haldimand)

Science author, educationalist, hostess.

1 January 1769 – 28 June 1858

Scan of a picture of writer Jane Marcet (who died in 1858)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcet_Jane.jpg Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Education

Home educated: subjects included Latin, chemistry, biology and history.

Some Key Achievements and Interests

1805 Published Conversations on Chemistry (which ran to 16 editions up to the 1830s and was popular in the United States).

1816 Published Conversations on Political Economy, Intended More Especially for the Female Sex which served as an elementary science textbook. (Marcet was identified as the author of this in the 12th edition of 1832). This was an inspiration to Michael Faraday. Went through 16 editions in England (23 in America) which Marcet continually updated. The book also influenced the direction of Harriet Martineau’s writing.

Written 1805, issued 1819 Conversations on Natural Philosophy covering the basics of scientific knowledge, written as a dialogue between two female pupils and their female teacher. (She was not acknowledged as author until 1832.)

Supported the teaching of chemistry to beginners through experimental laboratory demonstration.

Issues

Aged 15 ran the family after the death of her mother.

Was prone to depression and the death of her husband in 1822 shocked and adversely affected her mental health.

By publishing her work anonymously, it was open to male authors in the US to issue their own editions under their own names. Copyright laws over which she had no control in the US meant that she received no payment for these derivative US editions nor could she control their content.  

Alfred Marshall dismissed Marcet’s work as popularising which damaged her reputation.

Connection to Bloomsbury

From 1799 lived in Russell Square, Bloomsbury where she brought up her four children.

Female networks

Harriet Martineau, Maria Edgeworth, Mary Somerville.

Writing/Publications include:

1805 Conversations on Chemistry.

1816 Conversations on Political Economy.

1820 Conversations on Natural Philosophy.

Conversations on Vegetable Physiology.

From 1833 wrote children’s books incl:

1835 Mary’s Grammar

Further reading:

Jane Marcet – Wikipedia

Marcet, Jane Haldimand (1769–1858), writer on science and political economy | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (oxforddnb.com)

Marcet, Jane | SpringerLink

Chemical Work of Alexander and Jane Marcet | Clinical Chemistry | Oxford Academic (oup.com)