Dame Agnes Elizabeth Weston, GBE (26 March 1840 – 23 October 1918) was an English philanthropist noted for her work with the Royal Navy. For over twenty years, she lived and worked among the sailors of the Royal Navy. The result of her powerful influence is evidenced in the widespread reform which took place in the habits of hundreds of men to whom her name was a talisman for good. In her day, one man in six in the navy was a total abstainer. Weston's work included her monthly letters to sailors, Ashore and Afloat, which she edited, and the "Sailors' Rests", which she established in Portsmouth.[1] She was the first woman given a full ceremonial Royal Navy funeral.
Weston was born on 26 March 1840 in London, the daughter of a barrister. In 1851 she, her mother and siblings were living in Weston, Bath.[2] She was influenced from her teenage years onward by the Reverend James Fleming,[3] curate of St Stephen, Lansdown, in the parish of Walcot, Bath (1855–1859), an advocate for total abstinence, lack of ritual in religious expression, and living one's faith through good works.
Careeredit
In 1868, she took up hospital visiting and parish work in Bath, and through beginning a correspondence with a seaman who asked her to write to him, developed into the devoted friend of sailors, superintendent of the Royal Naval Temperance Society, and co-founder (with Sophia Wintz) of three Royal Sailors' Rests (two in Plymouth and one in Portsmouth), or clubs for sailors, by the start of the First World War. She published a monthly magazine, Ashore and Afloat, and established temperance societies on naval ships by personal visits to each ship (such as HMS Topaze) at a time when every ship had a grog pot and sailors were issued a daily rum ration. She published her memoirs My Life Among the Bluejackets in 1909.[4]
In June 1918, her work for the Royal Navy was publicly recognised when she was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).[5] She received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Glasgow University. On her death at age 78 in Devonport she became the first woman given a full ceremonial Royal Navy funeral.[4]
Legacyedit
Charles Causley's first collection of poems, Farewell, Aggie Weston[4] (1951) contained his "Song of the Dying Gunner A.A.1":
Farewell, Aggie Weston, the Barracks at Guz, Hang my tiddley suit on the door I'm sewn up neat in a canvas sheet And I shan't be home no more.
In March 2020, it was announced that Aggie Weston had come top of a public poll from a list of well-known Plymouth women to decide the recipient of the city's next blue plaque.[8] The plaque was unveiled on International Women's Day 2021, at the entrance to Endurance Court, Oceansgate in Devonport, opposite the site of the original Royal Sailors Rests buildings before their destruction in 1941 during the Plymouth Blitz.[9]
^Agnes Weston in the 1851 England Census. Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1851. via Ancestry.com paid subscription site: 1851 England Census (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Accessed December 2019.
^Kennerley, Alston. "Weston, Dame Agnes Elizabeth". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/36842. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)(subscription required)
^ abcWeston Mill, Plymouth: The Mother of the Navy National Museum of the Royal Navy, bbc.co.uk; accessed 19 June 2017.
^Agnes Weston named GBE, thegazette.co.uk; accessed 31 August 2014.
^"Campaign from on high at St Jude’s", Church Times, 31 July 2015
^"Christmas pudding found in Poole after 112 years". BBC News. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
^Elmes, Sarah (8 March 2019). "Winner of Plymouth's next blue plaque for a woman revealed - voted by you". The Herald. from the original on 25 November 2020.
^"The Box | New blue plaques celebrate famous Plymouth women". The Box Plymouth. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922). "Weston, Agnes". Encyclopædia Britannica (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company.
S. G. Wintz, Our Bluejackets, Miss Weston's Work (1894)
Attributionedit
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Chapin, Clara Christiana Morgan (1895). Thumb Nail Sketches of White Ribbon Women (Public domain ed.). Woman's temperance publishing association. p. 17.
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For the member of the New Zealand Legislative Council see Agnes Weston politician Dame Agnes Elizabeth Weston GBE 26 March 1840 23 October 1918 was an English philanthropist noted for her work with the Royal Navy For over twenty years she lived and worked among the sailors of the Royal Navy The result of her powerful influence is evidenced in the widespread reform which took place in the habits of hundreds of men to whom her name was a talisman for good In her day one man in six in the navy was a total abstainer Weston s work included her monthly letters to sailors Ashore and Afloat which she edited and the Sailors Rests which she established in Portsmouth 1 She was the first woman given a full ceremonial Royal Navy funeral Dame Agnes WestonGBE Aggie WestonBorn 1840 03 26 26 March 1840London EnglandDied23 October 1918 1918 10 23 aged 78 Devonport Borough of Plymouth Devon EnglandNationalityBritishOccupation s Philanthropist temperance activist writerAwardsGBESignature Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Honours 4 Legacy 5 References 5 1 Attribution 6 External linksEarly life editWeston was born on 26 March 1840 in London the daughter of a barrister In 1851 she her mother and siblings were living in Weston Bath 2 She was influenced from her teenage years onward by the Reverend James Fleming 3 curate of St Stephen Lansdown in the parish of Walcot Bath 1855 1859 an advocate for total abstinence lack of ritual in religious expression and living one s faith through good works Career editIn 1868 she took up hospital visiting and parish work in Bath and through beginning a correspondence with a seaman who asked her to write to him developed into the devoted friend of sailors superintendent of the Royal Naval Temperance Society and co founder with Sophia Wintz of three Royal Sailors Rests two in Plymouth and one in Portsmouth or clubs for sailors by the start of the First World War She published a monthly magazine Ashore and Afloat and established temperance societies on naval ships by personal visits to each ship such as HMS Topaze at a time when every ship had a grog pot and sailors were issued a daily rum ration She published her memoirs My Life Among the Bluejackets in 1909 4 Weston served as Superintendent of Work among Sailors for the Woman s Christian Temperance Union and was the President of the Plymouth Branch of the British Women s Temperance Association 1 Honours editIn June 1918 her work for the Royal Navy was publicly recognised when she was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire GBE 5 She received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Glasgow University On her death at age 78 in Devonport she became the first woman given a full ceremonial Royal Navy funeral 4 Legacy editCharles Causley s first collection of poems Farewell Aggie Weston 4 1951 contained his Song of the Dying Gunner A A 1 Farewell Aggie Weston the Barracks at Guz Hang my tiddley suit on the door I m sewn up neat in a canvas sheet And I shan t be home no more A portrait of her is included in the mural of heroic women by Walter P Starmer unveiled in 1921 in St Jude s Church Hampstead Garden Suburb London 6 In 2011 a tinned Christmas pudding was discovered at the back of a kitchen cupboard in Poole Dorset Donated to the museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard it was a Peek Frean amp Co s Teetotal Plum Pudding from 1900 It was one of a thousand puddings sent to British sailors during the Boer War on behalf of Weston 7 In March 2020 it was announced that Aggie Weston had come top of a public poll from a list of well known Plymouth women to decide the recipient of the city s next blue plaque 8 The plaque was unveiled on International Women s Day 2021 at the entrance to Endurance Court Oceansgate in Devonport opposite the site of the original Royal Sailors Rests buildings before their destruction in 1941 during the Plymouth Blitz 9 References edit a b Chapin 1895 p 17 Agnes Weston in the 1851 England Census Census Returns of England and Wales 1851 Kew Surrey England The National Archives of the UK TNA Public Record Office PRO 1851 via Ancestry com paid subscription site 1851 England Census database on line Provo UT USA Ancestry com Operations Inc 2005 Accessed December 2019 Kennerley Alston Weston Dame Agnes Elizabeth Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 36842 Subscription or UK public library membership required subscription required a b c Weston Mill Plymouth The Mother of the Navy National Museum of the Royal Navy bbc co uk accessed 19 June 2017 Agnes Weston named GBE thegazette co uk accessed 31 August 2014 Campaign from on high at St Jude s Church Times 31 July 2015 Christmas pudding found in Poole after 112 years BBC News 2 November 2011 Retrieved 13 July 2021 Elmes Sarah 8 March 2019 Winner of Plymouth s next blue plaque for a woman revealed voted by you The Herald Archived from the original on 25 November 2020 The Box New blue plaques celebrate famous Plymouth women The Box Plymouth Retrieved 8 March 2021 nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1922 Weston Agnes Encyclopaedia Britannica 12th ed London amp New York The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company S G Wintz Our Bluejackets Miss Weston s Work 1894 Attribution edit nbsp This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Chapin Clara Christiana Morgan 1895 Thumb Nail Sketches of White Ribbon Women Public domain ed Woman s temperance publishing association p 17 External links editWorks by or about Agnes Weston at Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Agnes Weston amp oldid 1189488477, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
