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Susanna Winkworth

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Susanna Winkworth (13 August 1820 – 25 November 1884) was an English translator and philanthropist, elder sister of translator Catherine Winkworth.[1]

Early life and education

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Susanna Winkworth was born in London, the eldest daughter of silk merchant Henry Winkworth and his wife Susanna Dickenson.[2] She was educated at home; among her tutors were prominent English Unitarians James Martineau and William Gaskell.[3]

Career

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Writer

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Winkworth translated the memoir and essays of German theologian Barthold Georg Niebuhr, in Life and Letters (1851 and 1852).[4] She followed with more German religious literature, with translations of the Theologia Germanica (1854)[5] and twenty-five sermons of medieval mystic Johannes Tauler (1858).[6] She completed an unfinished biography of Martin Luther by Julius Hare (1855), and collaborated with her sister on Signs of the Times (1856). Another translation, German Love, from the Papers of an Alien (1858) was based on the writings of Max Müller. Her last notable publications were a translation of Bunsen's God in History (1868-1870), and an 1883 memorial edition of her sister's writings, after Catherine Winkworth's death in 1878.[7]

Philanthropy

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Winkworth took an interest in urban life in Bristol, while living with her family at Clifton. She invested in housing at Dowry Square, built more units for low-income renters at Jacob's Well, and managed a sanitary mission. Susanna Winkworth also took a turn as governor of The Red Maids' School, and served on the board of governors of The Cheltenham Ladies' College.[2]

She died in 1884, age 64, and her remains were buried in the St. John's churchyard in Clifton. In the year 2000 a blue plaque was installed, marking the home of Catherine and Susanna Winkworth in Cornwallis Crescent, Bristol.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Margaret Josephine Shaen, Memorial of Two Sisters, Susanna and Catherine Winkworth (Longmans, Green 1908).
  2. ^ a b Susan Drain, "Catherine and Susanna Winkworth" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press 2004).
  3. ^ Susanne Stark, "Behind Inverted Commas": Translation and Anglo-German Cultural Relations in the Nineteenth Century (Multilingual Matters 1999): 20. ISBN 9781853593758
  4. ^ Susanna Winkworth, The Life and Letters of Barthold George Niebuhr, and Selections from his Minor Writings (Chapman and Hall 1852).
  5. ^ Susanna Winkworth, Theologia germanica: which setteth forth many fair lineaments of divine truth, and saith very lofty and lovely things touching a perfect life (W. F. Draper 1860).
  6. ^ Susanna Winkworth, The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler of Strasbourg (Wiley & Halstead 1858).
  7. ^ Susanna Winkworth, ed. Letters and memorials of Catherine Winkworth (E. Austin 1883).
  8. ^ Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society, list of plaques.
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