Katherine Watney (1870 – 10 January 1958) was a British-born missionary nurse in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Early years

Katherine Watney was born on 23 February 1870 in

Beddington Beddington is a suburban settlement in the London Borough of Sutton on the boundary with the London Borough of Croydon. Beddington is formed from a village of the same name which until early the 20th century still included land which became t ...

, Surrey. A member of the

Watney family The Watney family is an English family known for its association with the brewing firm Watney Combe & Reid,Janes, H. ''The Red Barrel: A History of Watney Mann'' (1963). as well as for its political activities, philanthropy and missionary work. Mem ...

, she was the second daughter of Norman Watney of

Westerham Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey. It is recorded as early as t ...

, Kent, son of the brewer

James Watney James Watney (18 December 1800–16 March 1884) was an English brewer and landowner who resided at Haling Park, Croydon, and Beddington, Surrey. He was born to Daniel Watney (1771–1831) of Mitcham, Surrey and Mary Galpin (1771–1830), ...

. She was commonly called ‘Kate’. Early in life Watney dedicated herself to missionary work, and for this purpose trained as a nurse.

Missionary work in China

Watney was accepted by the CEZMS ( Church of England Zenana Missionary Society), a mission which started in India but spread to

. She was sent to China. In 1922 at the time of the National Christian conference in Shanghai she was in

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

province. She was Principal of the Church of England Zenana Mission School for Blind Girls in Nantai. Watney never married. She retired to

Limpsfield Limpsfield is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs close to Oxted railway station and the A25.

, Surrey where she had a house in Detillens Lane. She continued her links with China even in England, and cared for many Chinese children. She died on 10 January 1958 at the Oxted and Limpsfield Hospital, and was buried in

, Kent.Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England

Missionary heritage

Watney's sister

Constance Watney Constance Watney, Order of the British Empire, MBE, COC, SRN, MBCN (1878 – 23 November 1947), was a British born missionary nurse in Uganda. Early years Constance Watney was born in 1878 in Beddington, Surrey. A member of the Watney family, sh ...

was a missionary in Uganda with CMS (

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

). Her niece, Faith, was a missionary with

CMS CMS may refer to: Computing * Call management system * CMS-2 (programming language), used by the United States Navy * Code Morphing Software, a technology used by Transmeta * Collection management system for a museum collection * Color managem ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, and married Leonard Sharland. Two of their sons, Roger and David, have also been missionaries in Sudan, as is their grandson, Emmanuel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watney, Katherine 1870 births 19th-century English women 1958 deaths 19th-century English people Watney family People from Surrey English nurses English Protestant missionaries Church of England Zenana Missionary Society 20th-century English people Protestant missionaries in China British expatriates in China 20th-century English women