An historical walk through Clerkenwell by Mary Cosh cover

Ethel Eleanor Mary Cosh, FSA (3 March 1919 – 17 December 2019) was a British freelance journalist and

local historian The British Association for Local History (BALH) is a membership organisation that exists to promote the advancement of public education through the study of local history and to encourage and assist the study of local history throughout Great Bri ...

who was known for her works on the history of Islington, London. Her book, ''A History of Islington'' (2005), was the first full-length history of the area since the mid-nineteenth century. She also wrote two historical works relating to Scotland. Cosh died in December 2019 at the age of 100.

Early life

Mary Cosh was born in Bristol on 3 March 1919 to Arthur Strode (a director) and Ellen (Janisch) Cosh. She was educated at Clifton High School.

Career

Cosh worked with the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

from 1937 to 1942. During the Second World War she served with the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

from 1942 to 1945 where she became a Leading Wren. After the war she read English at St Anne's College, University of Oxford, graduating with a BA in 1949. From 1950 to 1951, Cosh worked with the

Council of Industrial Design The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom charity incorporated by Royal Charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better". It was instrumental in the prom ...

during the time of the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

. From 1953, she worked as a freelance writer and researcher for other authors. One of these authors was

James Leasor James Leasor (20 December 1923 – 10 September 2007) was a prolific British author, who wrote historical books and thrillers. A number of Leasor's works were made into films, including his 1978 book, ''Boarding Party'', about an incident from ...

for whom she researched ''The Red Fort'', ''War at the Top'' and ''The Plague and the Fire''. Among other journals, she wrote for ''The Spectator'', ''The Times'' and ''Country Life''.

Historical writing

Cosh wrote extensively on the history of Islington, including her masterwork, ''A History of Islington'', published by Historical Publications in 2005, which was the first full-length history of the area since the mid nineteenth century. She also wrote two historical works relating to Scotland, firstly ''Inveraray and the Dukes of Argyll'' with Ian Lindsay, published by Edinburgh University Press in 1973, and ''Edinburgh, the golden age'', published in 2005. That work dealt with the social and cultural life of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

during the Scottish Enlightenment, covering the period 1760 to 1832 and drawing on contemporary accounts in literature, newspapers, letters and journals. Cosh became a fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

in 1986.Fellows Directory.
Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 1 March 2016.

Selected publications

Fiction

*''The real world''. Cassell, London, 1961.

Non-fiction

*''Inveraray and the Dukes of Argyll''. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1973. (With Ian G. Lindsay) *''An historical walk through Clerkenwell''. Islington Libraries, London, 1980. (2nd revised edition 2007) *''History of St. Stephen's Church, Canonbury: The building and the people from its consecration in June 1839 to June 1989''. St Stephen's Church, Canonbury, 1989. *''An historical walk through Barnsbury''. Islington Archaeology & History Society, London, 1981. (2nd revised edition 2001) *''A Regents Canal walk: From Camden Lock to City Road Basin''. Isledon Publications, 1985. *''An historical walk along the New River''. Islington Archaeology & History Society, London, 1988. (3rd revised edition 2001) *''The squares of Islington. Part 1, Finsbury and Clerkenwell''. Islington Archaeology & History Society, London, 1990. *''The squares of Islington. Part 2, Islington parish''. Islington Archaeology & History Society, London, 1993. *McBean, Angus. (2001) ''Angus McBean in Islington''. London: Islington Archaeology & History Society. (Editor) *''Edinburgh, the golden age''. John Donald, 2005. *''A history of Islington''. Historical Publications, London, 2005. *''53 Cross Street: The biography of a house''. Islington Archaeology & History Society, London, 2001. (With Martin King)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosh, Mary 1919 births 2019 deaths Historians of London Journalists from Bristol Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Women's Royal Naval Service ratings Royal Navy personnel of World War II English centenarians Women centenarians Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford