Jane Whately (1822 – 1893) was an English religious author, published as ''E. J. Whately''.

Biography

Elizabeth Jane Whately was born on 1 June 1822 to Revd

Richard Whately Richard Whately (1 February 1787 – 8 October 1863) was an English academic, rhetorician, logician, philosopher, economist, and theologian who also served as a reforming Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin. He was a leading Broad Churchman ...

and Elizabeth Pope in Oxford. She was one of four daughters and one son.

Mary Louisa Whately Mary Louisa Whately (August 31, 1824 – March 9, 1889) was an English missionary and author in Egypt. She spent over 30 years building schools for both girls and boys, ministering to their families and writing books based on her experiences. Wh ...

was her younger sister. Whately began life in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

before the family moved back to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

when she was three. She was educated by her mother at home and she showed skill in music, French, and Italian. She learned Latin at her fathers insistence. In 1831 the family moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1831 where Whately had a governess and shared her brother's tutor Revd Joseph Blanco White. Her father also taught the children. Whately was involved in the family charity works and so she taught in the Irish Church Mission Society. As the eldest daughter, when her mother died in 1860 Whately took on many of her duties. She was responsible for looking after her father as his health failed. When he died in 1863 Whately left Dublin. She began work on his biography. Many of her works were published after this. Whately was convinced that Roman Catholism was dangerous and as a result she focused heavily on this subject as well as missionary work. Whately's two surviving sisters had moved overseas for their health and until Whately visited each summer. She went to her sister Mary's mission in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

until 1889. She co-founded a school for girls there which taught in English and French. Whately herself never mastered Arabic. She also visited Henrietta in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Like her sisters, Whately had problems with her lungs and was sent to

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

for the winter where she died on 19 February 1893. She was buried there.

Works

* The Gospel in Bohemia: Sketches of Bohemian Religious History (London: Religious Tract Society, ca. 1877) * Life and Correspondence of Richard Whately, D.D., Late Archbishop of Dublin (2 volumes; London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1866) * The Life and Work of Mary Louisa Whately (London: Religious Tract Society, ca. 1890) * A Selection of English Synonyms (London: J. W. Parker, 1851) * A Selection of English Synonyms ( Boston and Cambridge: J. Munroe and Co., 1852) * How to answer objections to revealed religion * Romanism in the light of the Gospel * The story of Martin Luther * Plymouth Brethrenism * Home workers for foreign missions * Maude, or, The Anglican Sister of Mercy * Which way? : or, The old faith and the new * The Looker on: Sketches of Sunday School Teaching at home and abroad * Setma, the Turkish captive * Cousin Mabel's experiences. Sketches of religious life in England * Roman claims and Bible warrants

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whately, Jane 1822 births 1893 deaths English women writers Writers from Oxford