Katherine Hankey
Encyclopedia
Arabella Katherine Hankey (1834–1911) was an English evangelist
who is best known for being the author of a poem from which the hymn
s, Tell me the old, old story
and I love to tell the story, were derived.
She was born in 1834, the daughter of a prosperous banker in London
. Her family were devout Anglicans and members of the Clapham Sect
. She was inspired by the Methodist revival of John Wesley
and organised and taught in Sunday school
s in London. She then did missionary
work as a nurse in Africa, assisting her brother.
In 1866, she had a serious illness and was bedridden for a long convalescence. During this time, she wrote her long poem of 100 verses in two parts - The Story Wanted and The Story Told.
She recovered from the illness and lived to the age of 77, dying in 1911.
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
who is best known for being the author of a poem from which the hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s, Tell me the old, old story
Tell me the old, old story
Tell me the old, old story is a well-known hymn which was written as a poem by an English evangelist, Miss Katherine Hankey, in 1866 when she was recovering from a serious illness in London...
and I love to tell the story, were derived.
She was born in 1834, the daughter of a prosperous banker in 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...
. Her family were devout Anglicans and members of the Clapham Sect
Clapham Sect
The Clapham Sect or Clapham Saints were a group of influential like-minded Church of England social reformers based in Clapham, London at the beginning of the 19th century...
. She was inspired by the Methodist revival of John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
and organised and taught in Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
s in London. She then did missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work as a nurse in Africa, assisting her brother.
In 1866, she had a serious illness and was bedridden for a long convalescence. During this time, she wrote her long poem of 100 verses in two parts - The Story Wanted and The Story Told.
She recovered from the illness and lived to the age of 77, dying in 1911.