Mary Ann Aldersey
Encyclopedia
Mary Ann Aldersey 艾迪綏 the first Christian
missionary
woman (married or single) to serve in China
. She founded a school for girls in Ningbo
, Zhejiang
. Her pioneering the field of mission work for single women in China was the most remarkable outcome of her life.
Aldersey was a native of London
from a wealthy nonconformist family. She studied Chinese
under Robert Morrison in London
when he was on home leave from 1824 to 1826. Also in attendance were Samuel Dyer
and his wife Maria Tarn
. The friendship that she forged with Maria eventually led to her caring for their orphaned daughters later in China. In London, Aldersey was still attached to family ties, but she made gifts to the London Missionary Society
that enabled Maria Newell
to go to Malacca
(1827) where Newell met and married pioneer missionary Karl Gützlaff
.
In 1837 she herself was able to go to Batavia (present-day Jakarta
), where she started a school for Chinese girls. When the treaty ports
in China were opened (1843) she moved the school to Ningbo, where she continued to work until 1861. Never an agent of any missionary society, she did maintain close links with the London Missionary Society. Several of her teaching staff were Chinese-speaking daughters of missionaries; at least four became missionary wives, including Burella Hunter Dyer who married John Shaw Burdon
, Maria Jane Dyer
, who married James Hudson Taylor in 1857 (against Aldersey's wishes). Another protegee, Mary Ann Leisk, became the wife of William Armstrong Russell
, later bishop in north China.
In 1861 Aldersey handed her school over to the Church Missionary Society and retired to Australia
, where she lived until her death. She retired to Mclaren Vale
, South Australia
in 1861 and built a house (Tsong Gyiaou) named after a former preaching station. The name is an anglicised form of 'San Ch'iao' . It is now part of the Southern Districts War Memorial Hospital.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
woman (married or single) to serve in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. She founded a school for girls in Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. Her pioneering the field of mission work for single women in China was the most remarkable outcome of her life.
Aldersey was a native of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from a wealthy nonconformist family. She studied Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
under Robert Morrison in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
when he was on home leave from 1824 to 1826. Also in attendance were Samuel Dyer
Samuel Dyer
Samuel Dyer 台約爾 , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China in the Congregationalist tradition, who worked among the Chinese in Malaysia. He arrived in Penang in 1827. Dyer, his wife Maria, and their family lived in Malacca and then finally in Singapore...
and his wife Maria Tarn
Maria Tarn
Maria Dyer , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to the Chinese in the Congregationalist tradition, who worked among the Chinese in Malaysia. She arrived in Penang in 1827 with her husband, Samuel Dyer. She was the eldest daughter of Joseph Tarn, Director of London Missionary Society...
. The friendship that she forged with Maria eventually led to her caring for their orphaned daughters later in China. In London, Aldersey was still attached to family ties, but she made gifts to the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
that enabled Maria Newell
Maria Newell
Maria Newell Gützlaff was an English missionary, teacher and translator.Maria was born at Stepney, Middlesex, in England, the child of Samuel Newell, tallow chandler, and Mary Duchesne....
to go to Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
(1827) where Newell met and married pioneer missionary Karl Gützlaff
Karl Gützlaff
Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff , anglicised as Charles Gutzlaff, was a German missionary to the Far East, notable as one of the first Protestant missionaries in Bangkok, Thailand and for his books about China. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries in China to dress like a Chinese...
.
In 1837 she herself was able to go to Batavia (present-day Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
), where she started a school for Chinese girls. When the treaty ports
Treaty ports
The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...
in China were opened (1843) she moved the school to Ningbo, where she continued to work until 1861. Never an agent of any missionary society, she did maintain close links with the London Missionary Society. Several of her teaching staff were Chinese-speaking daughters of missionaries; at least four became missionary wives, including Burella Hunter Dyer who married John Shaw Burdon
John Shaw Burdon
John Shaw Burdon was a British Christian missionary to China with the Church Mission Society. Burdon was ordained to the priesthood by the Bishop of London in December 1852. He opposed Britain's part in the Opium Wars in China. In March 1874 he was consecrated bishop of the South China Diocese of...
, Maria Jane Dyer
Maria Jane Dyer
Maria Jane Dyer was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and "Mother" of the China Inland Mission with her husband, founder James Hudson Taylor. She was a pioneer missionary and educator there for 12 years . In 1858, she married Taylor and was an invaluable assistant and influence...
, who married James Hudson Taylor in 1857 (against Aldersey's wishes). Another protegee, Mary Ann Leisk, became the wife of William Armstrong Russell
William Armstrong Russell
William Armstrong Russell was an Irish Protestant Christian missionary to China, and served as the Anglican Bishop of North China.Russell, son of Marcus Carew Russell, by Fanny Potts, was born at Ballydavid House, Littleton, County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1821, and was educated at Middleton school,...
, later bishop in north China.
In 1861 Aldersey handed her school over to the Church Missionary Society and retired to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where she lived until her death. She retired to Mclaren Vale
McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is a wine region approximately 35 km south of Adelaide in South Australia. It has a population of about 2,000 and is internationally renowned for the wines it produces. The region was named after either David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company or John...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
in 1861 and built a house (Tsong Gyiaou) named after a former preaching station. The name is an anglicised form of 'San Ch'iao' . It is now part of the Southern Districts War Memorial Hospital.