Amy Elizabeth Imrie (née Pollard; 4 October 1870 – 4 April 1944), was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

heiress and one of the wealthiest women in Britain who, at the age of 37, became a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

, Sister Mary Clare and, subsequently,

Mother Superior An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

of the

Order of Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

. Born as Amy Elizabeth Rosalie Pollard in

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

, nowadays

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, to William Branch Pollard and his first wife, Elizabeth Anne (née Blackley). After the death of her mother, at age 1, she went to live with her mother's sister Hannah and her husband William Imrie. She was later adopted by Hannah and William. William Imrie was co-owner of

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...

shipping, and Amy was the sole heir to his fortune upon his death in 1906, receiving income from his estate during her life. The following year she became Sister Mary Clare of the Order of Poor Clares, eventually leading the convent as Mother Clare. In 1910 she funded the building and interior decorating of St Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, which is known as "the Vatican outside of Rome", because of the splendid artistry displayed in its interior.

Death

Imrie died 4 April 1944 in

Looe Looe (; kw, Logh, ) is a coastal town and civil parish in south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 at the 2011 census. Looe is west of Plymouth and south of Liskeard, divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe ( kw, links= ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, aged 73. She is buried behind the High Altar at Sclerder Abbey, Cornwall, England.

References

External links

Reproduction of the text accompanying the plaque
(unveiled on 13 June 2003) 1870 births 1944 deaths 20th-century British Roman Catholic nuns People from Liverpool Converts to Roman Catholicism People from Looe Poor Clares English philanthropists British Guiana people British adoptees {{RC-bio-stub