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Sarah Martin (1791 – 15 October 1843) was a prison visitor and philanthropist. She was born at
/ref> After this she began to provide comfort for those in the workhouse infirmary. Every Monday for seven years, she provided educational instruction to the workhouse children. Eventually a schoolroom was constructed in the yard. In 1838, when a new workhouse was built, a master and schoolmistress were appointed a regular provision made for instruction. She then directed her attention to teaching factory girls at the chancel of St. Nicholas Church.
MARTIN, SARAH
''A cyclopaedia of female biography'' 1857. pp. 515–522 {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Sarah 1791 births 1843 deaths People from Great Yarmouth British women poets 19th-century poets 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers People from Caister-on-Sea English humanitarians 19th-century British philanthropists
Sarah Martin (1791 – 15 October 1843) was a prison visitor and philanthropist. She was born at Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
; and lived in nearby Caister
Caister-on-Sea, also known colloquially as Caister, is a large village and seaside resort in Norfolk, England. It is close to the large town of Great Yarmouth. At the 2001 census it had a population of 8,756 and 3,970 households, the populati ...
. She earned her living by dressmaking
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician.
Notab ...
, and devoted much of her time amongst criminals in the Tolhouse Gaol in Great Yarmouth.
Early life
Born in June 1791, her father was a local tradesman. Orphaned at an early age, she was raised by her grandmother, a glovemaker. At the age of fourteen, she was apprenticed to a dressmaker in Yarmouth. After a religious conversion at the age of nineteen, she began to teach Sunday school.Macaulay, James. "Sarah Martin, the Yarmouth Prison-Visitor", ''Queen Victoria and other excellent women'', London, The Religious Tract Society, 1904, p. 101/ref> After this she began to provide comfort for those in the workhouse infirmary. Every Monday for seven years, she provided educational instruction to the workhouse children. Eventually a schoolroom was constructed in the yard. In 1838, when a new workhouse was built, a master and schoolmistress were appointed a regular provision made for instruction. She then directed her attention to teaching factory girls at the chancel of St. Nicholas Church.
Prison visits
She took an interest in the prisoners' welfare and began visiting the gaol in 1818. At first she read the bible to prisoners, later she began to hold Sunday services to inspire the inmates to improve their lives. Martin offered practical help alongside spiritual advice and taught them how to read and write as well as make items like spoons and books, which they sold. The prisoners were able to develop a sense of purpose and pride, using their earnings to buy clothes. After becoming very ill Sarah Martin died on 15 October 1843 and was buried at Holy Trinity, Caister-on-Sea. Sarah Martin's monument can be found inGreat Yarmouth Minster
The Minster Church of St Nicholas is the minster and parish church of the town of Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, England. It was built during the Norman era and is England's third largest parish church, behind Beverley Minster in East Yorkshire ( ...
.
A collection of her poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
s entitled ''Selections from the Poetical Remains of Miss S. Martin'' was published in 1845.
References
External links
*Henry Gardiner Adams (edMARTIN, SARAH
''A cyclopaedia of female biography'' 1857. pp. 515–522 {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Sarah 1791 births 1843 deaths People from Great Yarmouth British women poets 19th-century poets 19th-century British women writers 19th-century British writers People from Caister-on-Sea English humanitarians 19th-century British philanthropists