Flora Marjorie (Masson) Bassett Hon DLit (1889 - 1980)

Ancestors

Biography

Flora Marjorie 'Marnie' Masson was born on 30th June 1889 in Carlton, Victoria, Australia. She was the daughter of English-born David Orme Masson, a professor of chemistry at the University of Melbourne, and Mary Struthers, a native of Scotland. ^[1]

"[Marnie] received most of her education at home from governesses, although when she was 17 for three months she attended a girls' grammar school run by the Church of England. She became her father's secretary, but managed to attend history lectures at the university, particularly those of Ernest Scott. Scott encouraged her historical studies, and in 1913 she published a note in the University Review on the founding of the University of Melbourne.

"During World War I she was a secretary to various military hospital directors, and was transferred to England in 1916. On the way, her ship, the Arabia was torpedoed and she was forced to escape in a life boat. After the war she returned home and met and married Walter E. Bassett, an engineer. They were married on 25 January 1923, and had several children. As her children grew older, Bassett began to write in earnest."^[2]

Marnie is arguably best known for her superb biographies: "The Governor's Lady (1940) was a study of Philip Gidley King's wife, Anna Josepha King, the first woman to come to Australia as a governor's wife. This was a very early entry in the field that became Women's history. This was followed by The Hentys (1954), an account of the Henty family's trials along the Swan River, in Van Diemen's Land and finally in the Port Phillip District now in Victoria. This book has been praised as 'combining diligent research, intelligent handling of historical evidence, and a prose style that is clear and harmonious.' Bassett wrote many articles for the Australian Dictionary of Biography."

When Walter was knighted in 1959 Marnie became entitled as Lady Bassett; just as her mother had become Lady Masson when her father was knighted in 1923.

In 1968 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature degree from Monash University and a similar honour in 1974 from the University of Melbourne. She was elected a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1969 and two years later a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.

Marnie and Sir Walter Bassett had three children:

1. Orme Walter (1923-45)
2. Jenny Loxton (1926-); married Patrick Templeton Young in 1950 in Victoria ^[3]
3. Ian Masson (1929-); married Janet Wardlaw Chapman in 1955 in Victoria ^[4]

Aged ninety years and having been widowed for two years, Marnie passed away on 3rd February 1980 in Armadale, Victoria. ^[5] She was survived by her daughter and younger son, and their families.

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #29183/1889
2. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #2936/1923
3. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #12698/1950
4. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #18852/1955
5. ↑ Victoria Death Index #3353/1980

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marnie_Bassett
• J. S. Hardy, 'Bassett, Sir Walter Eric (1892–1978)', Australian Dictionary of Biography Vol 13 (1993). Online version https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bassett-sir-walter-eric-9449/text16615 accessed online 5 June 2023.