- Entry type: Person
- Entry ID: PR00089
Archdall, Martha Caroline Christine
(1851 – 1949)- Born 26 December, 1851, Stettin Germany
- Died 31 December, 1949, Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Occupation Founder, Teacher
Summary
With her husband, clergyman Mervyn Archdall, Martha pushed for the establishment of a deaconess institution at Balmain, New South Wales, in 1885. Bethany was opened in 1891 with Canon Archdall as director. It was Martha who opened a parish school, and by 1900 Bethany had schools at Balmain, Lewisham, Dapto and Bega.
Details
Martha Kaasow was born at Stettin, Germany – now Szcenin, Poland – and married Mervyn Archdall in 1882. The pair moved to Balmain, New South Wales, where they instigated the building of a deaconess institution. Mervyn Archdall was rector at Balmain, and became director of the deaconess institution, ‘Bethany’, when it opened in 1891. Martha opened the parish school, with school fees and one quarter of her husband’s stipend supporting Bethany. By 1900, new schools in Lewisham, Lawson, Dapto and Bega were also supporting the institution.
Martha Archdall ran an employment agency in Darlinghurst and developed another in Balmain for women and children from the Bethany Homes. She moved to Melbourne after the death of her husband in 1917.
Published resources
- Edited Book
- Journal Article
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Resource
- Trove: Archdall, Martha Caroline Christine (1851-1949), http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-753098