Marten, Sir Clarence Henry Kennett, 1872-1948 (Knight, provost of Eton College)
Dates
- Existence: 1872 - 1948
Biography
Sir (Clarence) Henry Kennett Marten (1872-1948) was born in Kensington, London, on 28 October 1872, the younger son of Sir Alfred George Marten (1829-1910), barrister and judge, who in 1874 became member of parliament for Cambridge borough and a QC, and his wife, Patricia Barrington, daughter of Captain Vincent Frederick Kennett of the Manor House, Dorchester-on-Thames. He was educated at Eton, and Balliol College, Oxford. In 1895 he was appointed an assistant master at Eton to teach history. Marten was instrumental in the introduction of the teaching of modern history at the school, which had a profound effect on the education provided in the public schools and grammar schools of the country. He was a founder member of the Historical Association in 1906 and the first schoolmaster president from 1929 to 1931. Marten, in collaboration with G. Townsend Warner, wrote The Groundwork of British History (1912) which became one of the most used school textbooks of the first half of the twentieth century. In 1929 Marten was appointed vice-provost at Eton, and in 1945 became provost. I n 1938 Marten was entrusted by George VI with the historical education of the Princess Elizabeth. He was knighted in 1945. He died at the provost's lodge at Eton on 11 December 1948.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Henry Marten: Papers
Includes correspondence, papers relating to Eton, Cambridge and Oxford Universitties, a large number of high quality photographs taken at Eton between 1879 and 1947, including many of royal visits, and also school reports on Marten written by the young A.C. Benson.