Elizabeth Anstice Baker (24 September 1849 – 16 October 1914) was an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
writer, philanthropist, and social reformer. Born into an Anglican family, she converted to Roman Catholicism and wrote a book about her religious journey, entitled ''A Modern Pilgrim's Progress''. The book was widely read in Catholic circles and was translated into French. She received the
Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice
''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy.
History
The medal was established by Leo XIII o ...
medal from
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
in 1902, becoming the first Australian woman to be honored with this medal.
Baker was active in supporting charitable causes, both in Australia and in England. With her mother, Isabelle Baker, she established the first Catholic hospital in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, South Australia, Australia. A women's rights activist, she participated in the suffrage movement in Australia and England, and was a member of the
Catholic Women's League. She also organized a mobile church ministry in England and Wales, known as a motor church, to serve the needs of both Catholics and non-Catholics in rural areas.
Early life and family
Elizabeth Anstice Baker, known as "Bessie", was born on 24 September 1849. According to newspaper articles at the time of her death, she was born in England; she later emigrated to Australia with her family at the age of 15.
However, the Australian Dictionary of Biography lists her birthplace as
Magill
''Magill'' was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. ''Magill'' specialised in investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann (who wrote its anonymous ' ...
, a suburb of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
Her parents were
John Baker and Isabella Morrison Baker (née Allan), wealthy landowners. John Baker was born in England, and emigrated at age 25 to the British colony of
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
, now known as Tasmania. Isabella Baker was born in Scotland; her father George Allen was a wealthy landowner in Van Dieman's land. The couple had twelve children;
Elizabeth was the sixth child.
Her sister Mary Ross died at age 20, shortly after giving birth, and her younger brother, Augustus, died in 1868 of diphtheria.
Baker's father was a successful
pastoralist who became quite wealthy through his business dealings. After spending years in Van Diemen's Land, he moved to South Australia where he was a leading figure in society. Among other business and civil endeavors, he helped to establish the South Australia Chamber of Commerce, and served as its first chair. He entered politics in the 1850s, serving on the
South Australia Legislative Council and briefly serving as the South Australian premier. He died in 1872, and was given a state funeral.
One of his sons,
Richard Chaffey Baker
Sir Richard Chaffey Baker (22 June 1842 – 18 March 1911) was an Australian politician. A barrister by trade, he embarked on a successful career in South Australian colonial politics, serving as Attorney-General of South Australia from 1870 to ...
, also became a noted Australian politician.
Elizabeth's childhood was shaped by being raised in an affluent and socially active family. She had private schooling at home, and was tutored by Anglican clergyman, as was typical of well-to-do families at that time. Elizabeth was highly intelligent and an avid reader.
She also studied in England,
and in Paris from 1860 to 1862, before returning to Adelaide to live again with her family.
Conversion to Catholicism
Baker was raised in the
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the R ...
. She recalls in her book ''A Modern Pilgrim's Progress'' that her family said daily prayers at home, presumably from the
Anglican prayer book, and attended church every Sunday. The family observed a strict sabbath, not allowing children to play or read novels, but encouraging them to read religious material only. Despite finding Sunday services "dull",
Baker continued to be regular in church attendance. As a young woman and adult, she was an active church member. When she was grown, she played organ at services at the Anglican church in Adelaide, and taught Sunday School classes.
However, she wrestled internally with questions about her faith. She found it troubling that there were divergent views within
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
; in Australia, these differences were highlighted by internal disputes in the Anglican Church in Australia between those favoring a "high church" tradition, adopting a formal liturgy, and those with a more evangelical approach to the faith, with an emphasis on personal conversion. Baker read widely in theology and philosophy, seeking to find a firm foundation that she could rely on. She was particularly concerned with reconciling a modern view of science with religious belief.
In 1876, Baker traveled to Europe with her sisters and their mother, Isabelle. While residing in France, she was influenced by Etienne Le Vigoureux, a French Dominican priest who served as a teacher and mentor. He was particularly helpful in addressing her questions about science and religion.
After years of spiritual struggle, she decided to convert from Anglicanism to Catholicism while in France. As is typical of converts to the Catholic Church, she went through a period of study and preparation for her conversion. She was then accepted into full communion in the Catholic Church in December 1877. Her mother, Isabelle, later converted to Catholicism as well, in 1881.
Social reform and philanthropy
After three years of living in Europe, Baker returned to Australia in 1879. Independently wealthy, she devoted her time, energy and funds to social causes. She served for two years on South Australia's State Children's Council, from 1888 to 1889.
Among others, Baker served on the council alongside woman's rights activist
Catherine Helen Spence
Catherine Helen Spence (31 October 1825 – 3 April 1910) was a Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, politician, leading suffragist, and Georgist. Spence was also a minister of religion and social worker, and supporter of ...
.
Like Spence, Baker believed that women should have the right to vote, and was an active supporter of the
women's suffrage movement
Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to gran ...
.
She was also active in supporting the Catholic community in Adelaide. She became a benefactor to
Mary Rose Columba Adams
Mary Rose Columba Adams (21 March 1832 — 30 December 1891), born Sophia Charlotte Louisa Adams, was an English Roman Catholic Dominican prioress, recognized as a founder of St Dominic's Priory and the Church of Perpetual Adoration in North A ...
, an English Benedictine sister, and helped fund the establishment of a congregation of Benedictine sisters in Adelaide.
Baker and her mother, Isabelle, led a campaign to establish a Catholic hospital in Adelaide, called
The Calvary Hospital; the Bakers recruited nurses from among the sisters of the Dominican order and the
Little Company of Mary. Bessie Baker managed the hospital, and oversaw the development of a nursing school.
In 1901, Baker moved to London, England. She continued to participate in social reform movements, and joined the fight for women's suffrage in England. She was also active in the Catholic Missionary Society and the
Catholic Women's League.
![Motor Chapel LCCN2014691058](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Motor_Chapel_LCCN2014691058.jpg)
As part of her charitable outreach, Baker started a "motor church" in England and Wales, providing funding and organizational support.
Motor churches or chapels were vehicles that could be used as small chapels for holding services; they were driven to remote areas, where full-time clergy were not available, to provide religious and charitable support to communities.
''A Modern Pilgrim's Progress''
While living in England, Baker penned a memoir about her conversion to Catholicism, entitled ''A Modern Pilgrim's Progress''. The title is an homage to
a classic Christian text by the English
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...
John Bunyan
John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...
. In her book, Baker shared her own intellectual wrestling with matters of faith, including how scientific knowledge, such as the
theory of evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation t ...
, could be reconciled with religious belief. Revealing the breadth and depth of her self-directed study in these matters, she discussed the writings of well-known philosophers and scientists, including
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
,
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
, and
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher, psychologist, biologist, anthropologist, and sociologist famous for his hypothesis of social Darwinism. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest" ...
. Her clear writing and a well-reasoned and logical engagement with these weighty questions contributed to the book's popularity.
According to the introduction, Baker first wrote the book at the request of a personal friend, as a personal reflection, but later was encouraged to publish it. The first edition was published in 1906. It had several printings and was translated into French.
It was very well received in Catholic circles.
Honours
In 1902, in a ceremony led by Cardinal Moran in Rome, Baker received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal from Pope Pius X. The medal was awarded to her for her "devotion and fidelity" to the Catholic Church and the Pope.
She was the first Australian woman to receive this medal.
Death
After having contracted
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
, Baker died on 16 October 1914 in London, England.
She is buried in
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, England, in the church graveyard of
St. Thomas' Church.
See also
*
Catholic Church in Australia
The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grown ...
*
List of converts to Catholicism
The following is an incomplete list of notable individuals who converted to Catholicism from a different religion or no religion.
Converts
A
* Hank Aaron: American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League B ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Bessie Anstice
19th-century Australian writers
19th-century Australian women writers
Australian Roman Catholics
Writers from Adelaide
1849 births
1914 deaths
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism
Roman Catholic missionaries