Person    | Female  Born 31/12/1828  Died 11/8/1921

Mary Elizabeth Sumner

Founded the Mothers’ Union in 1876. Born as Mary Elizabeth Heywood in Lancashire. 1848 she married George Henry Sumner, son of C. R. Sumner, Bishop of Winchester, and a second cousin of William Wilberforce. The birth of her first grand-child inspired her to gather the mothers in the parish to provide mutual support. This Mothers Union rapidly grew and in 1896 when it required a President she was unanimously elected, and held the post into her nineties.

Her three children were Margaret, Louisa Gore-Browne and George who became a successful artist. (Though the photo we found, on Louisa's page, suggests Mary and George had another child, Effie, born 1849, who married a Heywood.)

Wikipedia notes that other sources incorrectly give her date of death as the 9th.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mary Elizabeth Sumner

Commemorated ati

Mothers' Union - left

To the glory of God and in grateful remembrance of Mary Elizabeth Sumner who ...

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