Elizabeth Dawbarn facts for kids

Elizabeth Dawbarn (died 1839) was an English nurse and writer. She lived in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Elizabeth wrote about important ideas. These included what she believed about Jesus Christ. She also wrote about how women could influence men. And she wrote about what young children needed. Her books were shared widely by the Baptist church group in England.

Her Life Story

Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Saltonstall. She came from Alford, Lincolnshire. People said she was a "lady of substance." This meant she was quite wealthy. She was believed to be the only surviving member of a family. This family was related to Samuel Saltonstall. He was the older brother of Richard Saltonstall. Richard was the Lord Mayor of London from 1597 to 1598.

We do not know much about Elizabeth's early life. She married Richard Bunbury Dawbarn of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Their wedding was on April 30, 1782. After they married, Elizabeth encouraged her husband. She helped him leave the Church of England. He then joined the Particular Baptist church in Wisbech. Later, her husband became a Baptist preacher.

Elizabeth and Richard had eight children. Their names were Mary (born 1783), Thomas (born 1785), Richard (born 1786), and John (born 1789). They also had Elizabeth (born 1790), Ann (born 1795), Robert (born 1799), and Frances (died 1801). Her husband passed away in 1829. He was 72 years old. Elizabeth lived longer than him. One of her later books was about caring for children. It was written for her daughter Elizabeth. We do not know much more about her personal life.

Her Writings

Elizabeth Dawbarn wrote religious books. She wrote for both children and adults. Her books focused on the Old Testament part of the Bible. She wanted to show how the Old and New Testaments were connected. Her book The Eternal Existence of the Son of God (1800) looked at the Old Testament. It showed how parts of it could be read in two ways. One way was literal, and the other was symbolic.

In The Young Person's Assistant in Reading the Old Testament (1806), Elizabeth wrote as a mother. She was talking to her children in the book. She stressed how important it was to teach children about Christianity. She also stopped to explain difficult words and passages. Her book about the nature of Christ was likely from 1800.

Another important book was The Rights of Infants; or, a Letter from a mother to a daughter, relative to the nursing of infants. This book came out in 1805. In it, she strongly argued for the importance of caring for babies. She also said it was important to use kind common sense when doing so.

Elizabeth also wrote an anonymous book in 1794. It was called Dialogue between Clara Neville and Louisa Mills, on Loyalty. This book showed a strong belief in monarchy (rule by a king or queen). It preferred this over ideas of pure liberty. It also highlighted that God cares about comforting poor people. And it talked about how women could influence men to help in this way. In 1805, she published a collection of writings. These writings were against going to the theatre. It was called Sentiments selected from Writers of Ancient and Modern Celebrity concerning Theatrical Amusements.

Elizabeth's books were first published in Wisbech. But they became known more widely. This happened because they were shared through the Baptist church group.