Sarah Crompton (1802 – 13 May 1881) was an English children's writer. She was widely known for her promotion of education amongst the poor. She wrote a number of books written with "short words" which were used to teach children and illiterate adults, including ''The Life of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

, in short words'', and ''The Life of

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

in short words''.

Biography

Sarah Crompton was born in Mount Street,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, 1802. She was the eldest daughter of J. W. Crompton, a merchant. She was a sister of the surgeon, D. W. Crompton, and of Mrs. George Dawson. In the early days of

George Dawson George Dawson may refer to: Politicians * George Dawson (Northern Ireland politician) (1961–2007), Northern Ireland politician * George Walker Wesley Dawson (1858–1936), Canadian politician * George Oscar Dawson (1825–1865), Georgia politic ...

's ministry in Birmingham, Crompton joined his congregation, and for many years was well known in the Church of the Saviour, and much respected for her quiet and unobtrusive work in the Sunday and evening schools connected with it. But her great interest in the promotion of education among the poor caused her name to be widely known beyond Birmingham. She was the author of several books which proved useful in the instruction of children and illiterate adults. ''Stories in Short Words'', ''Suggestive Hints on the Study of the Gospel'', as well as the lives of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

and Christopher Columbus, were among the best of her publications. Though in later years, she led a life of comparative retirement, her genial manners and her interest in literature and in passing events attracted many visitors to her

parlour A parlour (or parlor) is a reception room or public space. In medieval Christian Europe, the "outer parlour" was the room where the monks or nuns conducted business with those outside the monastery and the "inner parlour" was used for necessar ...

. After a slow decline, she died at Hagley Terrace in Birmingham, on 13 May 1881. Her remains were interred in the family vault in the Old Meeting House graveyard, by the Rev. Charles Clarke; she was the last buried in that cemetery.

Selected works

* ''Old and new stories in short words'', 1853 * ''Life of Martin Luther'', 1860 * ''Tales of life in earnes'', 1862 * ''A tale of the crusades'', 1872 * ''The Life of Christopher Columbus, in short words'' * ''The Life of Robinson Crusoe in short words''

References

Attribution

* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crompton, Sarah 1802 births 1881 deaths 19th-century English women writers 19th-century British writers English children's writers British women children's writers Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands