Mary Augusta Arnold was was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, into a prominent intellectual family of writers and educationalists. As a British novelist she wrote under her married name as Mrs Humphry Ward. She worked to improve education for the poor and she became the founding President of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League.
Mary was educated at various boarding schools and at 16 returned to live with her parents at Oxford, where her father had a lecturership in history. She made herself familiar with French, German, Italian, Latin, Greek and Spanish.
Ward began her career writing on a book for children that was published in 1881 under the title Milly and Olly. Several novels followed.
Mary Ward's declared aim was "equalisation" in society, and she established educational settlements. She was also a significant campaigner against women getting the vote. However, she came to promote the idea of women having a voice in local government and other rights that the men's anti-suffrage movement would not tolerate. During World War I, Ward visited the trenches on the Western Front which resulted in three books. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
(source: wikipedia)