Charlotte Mason was a nineteenth century educational philosopher who lived in England. Born in 1842, Mason was orphaned at the age of 16 and found herself training to become a teacher. She taught for more than 10 years in Worthing, England where she began to develop her ideas for a liberal education for all.

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During this time in England, education was viewed according to class. If you were from the lower class you would find yourself being taught a trade with little art or beauty to add life. And if you were from the upper class you would be taught only things of art and beauty with little practicality or application. Mason began to believe there was another option. That regardless of class distinction all children would benefit from an education that included a broad and varied "feast" of ideas for the young mind. 

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When Mason began teaching at Bishop Otter Teacher Training College in Chichester, England, she realized that parents could be better prepared to care for their children if they understood a few basic educational principles. This sparked a collection of lectures for parents that eventually became her first publication, Home Education. After the conclusion of these lectures, the Parent's Educational Union or PEU was formed that would later become the Parent's National Educational Union or PNEU. This would be a group of parents and educators that wanted to implement Mason's vision in homes and schools. They eventually began the publication of the 'Parents' Review' in order to keep in touch with new ideas and practices. 

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Eventually, Mason found herself in Ambleside, England where she formed the House of Education with was a training college for governesses. During this time Mason wrote 5 other publications that complete her set of volumes on education including: 

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• Parents and Children

• School Education

• Ourselves

• Formation of Character

• A Philosophy of Education

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Mason's House of Education later became a complete teacher training facility that prepared many teacher to educate students all over England well after Mason's death in 1923. Today we have seen a resurgence of her timeless philosophies beginning in homeschools across the United States. It is our hope at Plumfield to join in the efforts to fulfill Mason's work to give a liberal education for all. Below you will find an overview of Mason's 20 principles  of education from her work A Philosophy of Education.