A series of undrained cyclic triaxial compression tests has been performed on a high plasticity marine clay. Testing was performed under various combinations of initial static and subsequent cyclic shear stress on isotropically and anisotropically consolidated specimens. Additionally, monotonic triaxial compression and extension tests were also performed on the same clay with the same initial condition. The cyclic shear strength is first considered, and then, the accumulated shear strain is investigated related to the effective stress ratio at the peak cyclic stress. Based on the experimental results, a semi-empirical model is proposed for evaluating the development of residual shear strain during cyclic loading. The model successfully explains the behaviour of clay subjected to various magnitudes of initial static and subsequent cyclic shear stresses.