Catherine Booth was the wife of the founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth

William Booth

William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...

. Because of her influence in the formation of The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....

 she was known as the 'Army Mother'.

She was born Catherine Mumford in Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, the daughter of John Mumford and Sarah Milward. Her father was a coach builder. Her family later moved to Boston, Lincolnshire

Boston, Lincolnshire

Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...

, and later lived in Brixton

Brixton

Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

From an early age, Catherine was a serious and sensitive girl. She had a strong Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 upbringing, even going so far as to read her Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 through eight times before the age of 12.

At age 14, she was seriously ill and spent a great deal of time in bed. She kept herself busy, however, and was especially concerned about the problems of alcohol

Alcoholic beverage

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...

. She wrote articles for a temperance magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

, which encouraged people not to drink.

Catherine was a member of the local Band of Hope

Hope UK

Hope UK is a national Christian charity located at 25 Copperfield Street, London, England which educates children and young people about drug and alcohol abuse.-Band of Hope:...

 and a supporter of the national Temperance Society

Temperance movement

A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...

.

She met William Booth

William Booth

William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...

, a Methodist

Methodism

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

  minister, when he came to preach at her church in 1852. They soon fell in love and became engaged. During their three year engagement, Catherine constantly wrote letters of encouragement to William as he performed the tiring work of a preacher.

They were married on 16 June 1855 at Stockwell

Stockwell

Stockwell is a district in inner south west London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Kennington all border Stockwell...

 Green Congregational Church in London. Their wedding was very simple, as they wanted to use their time and money for his ministry. Even on their honeymoon, William was asked to speak at meetings. Together they accepted this challenge.

Catherine began to be more active in the work of the church at Brighouse

Brighouse

Brighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...

. Though she was extremely nervous, she enjoyed working with young people and found the courage to speak in children's meetings.

At that time, it was unheard of for women to speak in adult meetings. She was convinced that women had an equal right to speak

Christian feminism

Christian feminism is an aspect of feminist theology which seeks to advance and understand the equality of men and women morally, socially, spiritually, and in leadership from a Christian perspective. Christian feminists argue that contributions by women in that direction are necessary for a...

, however, and when the opportunity was given for public testimony

Testimony

In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...

 at Gateshead

Gateshead

Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...

, she went forward. It was the beginning of a tremendous ministry, as people were greatly challenged by her preaching. She also spoke to people in their homes, especially to alcoholics, whom she helped to make a new start in life. Often she held cottage meetings for converts

Religious conversion

Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...

.

The Booths had eight children: Bramwell Booth

Bramwell Booth

Bramwell Booth, CH was the first Chief of Staff and the second General of The Salvation Army , succeeding his father, William Booth.-Biography:...

, Ballington Booth

Ballington Booth

Ballington Booth was an Officer in The Salvation Army and a co-founder of Volunteers of America.Born in Brighouse, England, Ballington Booth was the second child of William and Catherine Booth, founders of The Salvation Army in 1878...

, Kate Booth

Kate Booth

Catherine Booth-Clibborn was the oldest daughter of William and Catherine Booth. She was also known as "la Maréchale".-Early life:...

, Emma Booth

Emma Booth (The Salvation Army)

Emma Moss Booth known as 'The Consul', was the fourth child and second daughter of Catherine and William Booth, the Founder of The Salvation Army....

, Herbert Booth

Herbert Booth

Herbert Henry Howard Booth was the third son of William and Catherine Booth. He oversaw the Limelight Department's development and he was the writer and director for Soldiers of the Cross....

, Marie Booth

Marie Booth

Marian Billups Booth , better known as Marie Booth, was the third daughter of Catherine and William Booth, the Founder of The Salvation Army....

, Evangeline Booth

Evangeline Booth

General Evangeline Cory Booth was the 4th General of the Salvation Army from 1934 to 1939. She was its first female General.-Early life:...

 and Lucy Booth

Lucy Booth

Commissioner Lucy Milward Booth was the eighth and youngest child of Catherine and William Booth, the Founder of The Salvation Army....

, and were dedicated to giving them a firm Christian knowledge. Two of their offspring, Bramwell and Evangeline, later became Generals of The Salvation Army

Generals of The Salvation Army

thumbnail|left|1st General, William BoothGeneral is the title of the international leader of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers .Usage of the term General began with the Founder of The Salvation...

.

They began the work of The Christian Mission in 1865. William preached to the poor and ragged and Catherine spoke to the wealthy, gaining support for their financially demanding ministry. She eventually began to hold her own campaigns.

When the name was changed in 1878 to The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....

 and William Booth

William Booth

William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...

 became known as the General

Generals of The Salvation Army

thumbnail|left|1st General, William BoothGeneral is the title of the international leader of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers .Usage of the term General began with the Founder of The Salvation...

, Catherine became known as the Mother of the Army. She was behind many of the changes in the new organization, designing the flag and bonnets for the ladies, and contributed to the Army's ideas on many important issues and matters of belief.

Catherine Booth died at age 61 in Clacton-on-Sea

Clacton-on-Sea

Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...

 at Crossley house; subsequently the house was donated to people with learning disabilities, and provided many summer holidays, until being sold to property developers in 2005. The Booths had rented a small villa in sight of the sea that she loved, and on 4 October 1890 she died in her husband's arms with her family around her. She is interred with her husband in Abney Park Cemetery

Abney Park Cemetery

Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...

, London.

Works

• Works at The Victorian Women Writers Project
• Aggressive Christianity Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1905363117
• Godliness
• Hot Saints - On Fire for God, Living Full of Light, Purity and Power aka Practical Religion Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1846855153
• Let the Women Speak - Females Teaching in Church Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1846853753
• Life and Death
• Popular Christianity - its Cowardly Service versus the Real Warfare Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1846855160

Further reading

• Booth-Tucker, Frederick The Short Life of Catherine Booth, the mother of the Salvation Army (1892, 1910) Also published as The life of Catherine Booth : the mother of the Salvation Army.
• Booth-Tucker, Frederick Gems from the life of Catherine Booth, the mother of the Salvation Army : being extracts from the original (1893)
• Carpenter, Minnie Lindsay Rowell Women of the flag (1945)

External links