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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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MISS PRISCILLA LYDIA SELLON Priscilla Lydia Sellon was born on March 21st 1821, the daughter of Commander Richard Baker Sellon, Royal Navy. Her mother died shortly after the birth and her father married again. She suffered from health problems and in January 1848 she was resting in Plymouth awaiting passage to Madeira when she read an appeal by the Bishop of Exeter for help to relieve the spiritual and moral destitution of Devonport. Being the daughter of a Naval officer she responded to the challenge immediately, dropped her plans to go abroad and, with the financial assistance of her father and practical help from her companion, Miss Catherine Chambers, she rented a room in George Street, Devonport, to set up a small school. She was described as being 'a remarkable woman, with great force of character and exceptional attainments.' In 1849, with the approval of the Bishop of Exeter, Bishop Henry Phillpott, she formed the Church of England Sisterhood of Mercy of Devonport and Plymouth, more simply known as Devonport Society. That one school quickly became five schools and with financial support from supporters she set up an orphanage for girls; homes for destitute girls; an industrial school for young women; a college for boy sailors; and evening classes for adults. Using her own money she purchased tenements to rent out to the poor in return for them adopting more moral ways and set up a printing press for unemployed females who might otherwise succumb to prostitution to earn money. When the cholera struck Plymouth in June 1849, Miss Sellon volunteered her services to the Vicar of St Peter's and the Sisters risked their lives treating the sick and dying. She erected a temporary wooden hospital on ground later known as Abbey Field. The devotion of the Sisters helped to check the spread of the disease and to finally stamp it out. The epidemic lasted only three months but 177 patients were discharged from the hospital before it closed, compared to the 121 who died. However, her work among the cholera victims affected her own health and after that she could only sit up for short periods and often had her meals while in a reclining position. Her condition steadily got worse and eventually she had to be moved around in a wheel-chair. Shortly after the cholera visitation she founded the Sisterhood known as the Society of the Most Holy Trinity. On October 5th 1850 she laid the foundation stone of what was to be named St Dunstan's Abbey, at North Road, Plymouth. One would be forgiven for assuming that Miss Sellon's efforts in the name of God would have been welcomed by those involved with the Church of England but it was quite the contrary. A Sisterhood was seen as a Roman Catholic device and the tirade of criticism from some quarters forced even the Bishop of Exeter to withdraw his support. She also upset the Reverend Hutchison, the incumbent at St James the Great in Devonport, by objecting when he took the children from her charity school to an Exposition at the Devonport Mechanics' Institute, a matter which not surprisingly attracted unfavourable comment from the local press. On the day after the visit, she simply "sent the boys round", closed the school, recalled the mistress and removed all the desks. [a] By 1860 Miss Sellon was completely paralysed, although her mental faculties remained as sharp as ever, but she refused to give in and there is no doubt that among the poor of the Three Towns she and her Sisters had a great deal of support and, more importantly given the attitude of the Established Church, respect. Miss Priscilla Lydia Sellon died on November 20th 1876 at Malvern, Worcestershire. She was 55-years-old. Her legacy lived on for over a century. The schools were closed in 1906 and the few remaining Sisters were transferred to the Ascot Priory in Berkshire. The buildings at North Road became the St Dunstan's Abbey School for Girls in April 1907. The last two Sisters of the Society of the Most Holy Trinity died during 2004 at the Ascot Priory. Sister Rosemary died on January 16th and the Mother Superior, Cecilia, died on February 12th, thus closing the final chapter. Sources (incomplete):
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