Priscilla "Scilla" Studd (''née'' Livingstone Stewart; 28 August 1864 – 15 January 1929) was a British
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
and wife of
Charles Studd.
Life and career
Born in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, Ireland (modern-day
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
), Priscilla Stewart arrived in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
in 1887 as part of
The Hundred missionaries
This is a list of notable Protestant missionaries in China by agency. Beginning with the arrival of Robert Morrison in 1807 and ending in 1953 with the departure of Arthur Matthews and Dr. Rupert Clark of the China Inland Mission, thousands of f ...
of the
China Inland Mission
OMF International (formerly Overseas Missionary Fellowship and before 1964 the China Inland Mission) is an international and interdenominational Evangelical Christian missionary society with an international centre in Singapore. It was founded i ...
and was one of a large party to arrive together. She was reported as being both Irish in her looks and in her spirit, with blue eyes and golden hair. After a while in Shanghai she moved with three other women to work inland at the city of
Ta-Ku-Tang.
Of her new-found calling she said,
In China, after praying whilst kneeling in the snow, she became seriously ill with
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
, so much so that she sent for her then fiancé
Charles Studd, who was himself recovering from an attack of
pleurisy
Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...
. After a while she started to recover but the local people said that having sent for Charles from so far, they must marry – and Charles agreed. He was a fellow missionary who had arrived in China in 1885 as one of the
Cambridge Seven
The Cambridge Seven were six students from Cambridge University and one from the Royal Military Academy, who in 1885, decided to become missionaries to China through the China Inland Mission. The seven were:
* Charles Thomas Studd
* Montagu H ...
. In 1888, they went through a wedding ceremony with Pastor
Xi Shengmo
Xi Shengmo ( zh, t=席勝魔, w=Hsi Shêng-mo; c. 1836–1896) also known as ''Pastor Hsi'', was a Chinese Christian leader.
Life
He was born ''Xi Zizhi'' in a village near Linfen, became a Confucian scholar, and, after his conversion to C ...
– who was unlicensed – but it pleased the locals. After their wedding the Studds moved to another inland city,
Lungang-Fu. They four daughters – Grace, Dorothy, Edith and Pauline; two sons died in infancy.
In 1894, the couple returned to England and then between 1900 and 1906 they worked in India. After another return to England, Charles' missionary work took him alone to Africa and the last sixteen years of their married life were spent apart, Charles remaining in Africa and Priscilla in England, where she laboured with the newly formed
Worldwide Evangelization Crusade. She died in 1929.
See also
*
Studd brothers
The Studd brothers, Sir John Edward Kynaston, George (GB) and Charles (CT), were Victorian gentleman cricketers; they were educated at Eton and Cambridge. They all represented Eton in the Eton v Harrow annual needle match and represented Cambri ...
*
List of Protestant missionaries in China
This is a list of notable Protestant missionaries in China by agency. Beginning with the arrival of Robert Morrison in 1807 and ending in 1953 with the departure of Arthur Matthews and Dr. Rupert Clark of the China Inland Mission, thousands of f ...
*
Protestant missions in China
In the early 19th century, Western colonial expansion occurred at the same time as an evangelical revival – the Second Great Awakening – throughout the English-speaking world, leading to more overseas missionary activity. The nineteenth centu ...
*
Christianity in China
Christianity in China has been present since at least the 3rd century, and it has gained a significant amount of influence during the last 200 years.
While Christianity may have existed in China before the 3rd century, evidence of its exist ...
References
External sources
*''C.T. Studd: Cricketer and Pioneer'' by
Norman Grubb
Norman Percy Grubb MC (2 August 1895 – 15 December 1993) was a British Christian missionary and Evangelist, writer, and theological teacher.
Biography
Early life
Grubb was born in Hampstead, England, the son of an Anglican vicar. ...
,
Christian Biography Resources
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studd, Priscilla
1864 births
1929 deaths
Protestant missionaries in China
Irish Protestant missionaries
Christian clergy from Belfast
Female Christian missionaries
British Protestant missionaries
British expatriates in China