Sarah Selwyn

Sarah Harriet Selwyn ( Richardson; 2 September 1809 – 24 March 1907) was the wife of George Augustus Selwyn, the first Anglican bishop of New Zealand and later of Lichfield. Often left behind to manage missionary stations while her husband travelled throughout New Zealand and the islands of the western Pacific Ocean, Sarah Selwyn contributed to the work of building the hierarchy of the Church of England in New Zealand from 1841 to 1868. Her humanitarian idealism as well as her own personal experiences among the Māori people fuelled her criticism of British and New Zealand policy. Together with Mary Ann Martin and Caroline Abraham, Sarah Selwyn contributed her private correspondence for a publication protesting at the British colonial policies of land confiscation and military conquests against the Māori in New Zealand. Early life Sarah Harriet Selwyn was born 2 September 1809 in Wanlip, Leicestershire, England, at the childhood home of her mother Lady Harriet Richardson (died 1839). Wanlip Hall had been inherited by her grandmother, Catherine Susanna Palmer, the first wife of Sir Charles Hudson, 1st Baronet. She spent much of her childhood in London, but, due to his asthma, her father, Sir John Richardson (1771–1841) retired from his service as judge of the Court of Common Pleas. When she was fourteen, the family spent long periods in southern Europe, including Malta. Sarah had no formal education, a governess for a few years, and tutors in dancing, French, writing and Latin. However, she read with her father in history and literature. Lady Harriet died in March 1839, a few months before Sarah was to be wed.