Mary Atkinson Maurice

Mary Atkinson Maurice (1797–1858) was a British teacher, educationist, and writer. With her encouragement, Mary's brother F. D. Maurice, founded Queen's College, London, of which she was a generous sponsor. She was educated by her father, and was gifted in languages and literature. Once in London, Maurice became active in the work of the Governesses' Benevolent Institution (GBI), on whose committee her brother Frederick Denison Maurice, sat. Her brother was its principal. She wrote that: "Every young person ought to study, with the idea that she will in all probability have to teach what she is now acquiring." She became a generous subscriber to Queen's College, as well as supporting the work of another of the GBI's initiatives, the Asylum for Aged Governesses.

Mary Atkinson Maurice died of peritonitis, in Great Yarmouth, on 4 October 1858. She was buried in St Nicholas's Church.