Sister Dora
Encyclopedia
Sister Dora was a 19th century Church of England
nun
and a nurse in Walsall
, Staffordshire
.
From 1861–1864, she ran the village school at Little Woolstone
, Buckinghamshire
.
In the autumn of 1864, she joined the Sisterhood of the Good Samaritans at Coatham
, Middlesbrough
and devoted her life to nursing. She was sent to work at Walsall’s hospital in Bridge Street and arrived in Walsall on 8 January 1865. The rest of her life was spent in Walsall and it was there that in local eyes she became to be compared with Florence Nightingale.
Later she worked at the Cottage Hospital at The Mount.
In 1875, when Walsall was hit by smallpox, Sister Dora worked for six months at an epidemic hospital being set up in Deadman’s Lane (now Hospital Street). During 1876, Sister Dora attended more than 12,000 patients.
The last two years of her life, Sister Dora worked at the hospital in Bridgeman Street, overlooking the South Staffordshire Railway (later the London and North Western Railway). It was there that she developed a special bond of friendship with railway workers who often sufferen in industrial accidents. The railwaymen gave her a pony and a carriage and even raised the sum of £50 from their own wages to enable Sister Dora to visit housebound patients more easily.
In 1877 Sister Dora contracted breast cancer, and died on Christmas Eve in 1878. At her funeral on 28 December the town of Walsall turned out to see her off to Queen Street Cemetery, borne by eighteen railwaymen, engine drivers, porters and guards, all in working uniform.
On her death Florence Nightingale paid the following tribute, 'May every nurse, though not gifted with Sister Dora's genius, grow in training and care of her patients, that none but may be better for her care, whether for life or death'.
Her epitaph read, 'Quietly I came among you and quietly let me go'.
In Alumwell Close, Walsall, behind the Manor Hospital is a Mental Health Hospital which has been dedicated to Sister Dora. 'Dorothy Pattison Hospital' cares for Mental Health patients and belongs to the Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust.
In 1882, a stained glass window at St. Matthew's Church, Walsall, was dedicated to her.
In October 1886, a statue
of Sister Dora by Francis John Williamson was unveiled in Walsall by a Mr. B Beebee. Reputedly it is the UK's first public statue of a woman not of royal blood.
An annual church service is held in her memory in Walsall.
A portrait of Sister Dora by George Phoenix
has been preserved at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
A British Rail Class 31
diesel locomotive (31 430, now in preservation with the Mid-Norfolk Railway
) was named after her.Later a British Rail Class 37
diesel loco (37 116, now in preservation on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway) received the name from the Class 31.
The Midland Metro
has a tram
named 'Sister Dora'.
The main road through her home village of Woolstone, Milton Keynes
is called Pattison Lane.
Sister Dora Gardens in ( Caldmore ) And Dora Street in Pleck
Is named after her.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
and a nurse in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
Life
She was the second-youngest child of the Rev. Mark James Pattison, and sister of the scholar Mark Pattison Jnr.Mark Pattison
Mark Pattison was an English author and a Church of England priest. He served as Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.-Life:...
From 1861–1864, she ran the village school at Little Woolstone
Woolstone, Milton Keynes
Great Woolstone and Little Woolstone are two historic villages in modern Milton Keynes, ceremonial Buckinghamshire now called jointly Woolstone or The Woolstones and forming the heart of a new district of that name....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
In the autumn of 1864, she joined the Sisterhood of the Good Samaritans at Coatham
Coatham
Coatham is a place in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.- History :Coatham began as a market village in the 14th century to the smaller adjacent fishing port of Redcar but as their populations grew from the 1850s, the dividing space narrowed...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
and devoted her life to nursing. She was sent to work at Walsall’s hospital in Bridge Street and arrived in Walsall on 8 January 1865. The rest of her life was spent in Walsall and it was there that in local eyes she became to be compared with Florence Nightingale.
Later she worked at the Cottage Hospital at The Mount.
In 1875, when Walsall was hit by smallpox, Sister Dora worked for six months at an epidemic hospital being set up in Deadman’s Lane (now Hospital Street). During 1876, Sister Dora attended more than 12,000 patients.
The last two years of her life, Sister Dora worked at the hospital in Bridgeman Street, overlooking the South Staffordshire Railway (later the London and North Western Railway). It was there that she developed a special bond of friendship with railway workers who often sufferen in industrial accidents. The railwaymen gave her a pony and a carriage and even raised the sum of £50 from their own wages to enable Sister Dora to visit housebound patients more easily.
In 1877 Sister Dora contracted breast cancer, and died on Christmas Eve in 1878. At her funeral on 28 December the town of Walsall turned out to see her off to Queen Street Cemetery, borne by eighteen railwaymen, engine drivers, porters and guards, all in working uniform.
On her death Florence Nightingale paid the following tribute, 'May every nurse, though not gifted with Sister Dora's genius, grow in training and care of her patients, that none but may be better for her care, whether for life or death'.
Her epitaph read, 'Quietly I came among you and quietly let me go'.
Commemoration
Outpatients at Walsall Manor Hospital is named after Sister Dora, Sister Dora Outpatients Department.In Alumwell Close, Walsall, behind the Manor Hospital is a Mental Health Hospital which has been dedicated to Sister Dora. 'Dorothy Pattison Hospital' cares for Mental Health patients and belongs to the Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust.
In 1882, a stained glass window at St. Matthew's Church, Walsall, was dedicated to her.
In October 1886, a statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Sister Dora by Francis John Williamson was unveiled in Walsall by a Mr. B Beebee. Reputedly it is the UK's first public statue of a woman not of royal blood.
An annual church service is held in her memory in Walsall.
A portrait of Sister Dora by George Phoenix
George Phoenix
George Phoenix was a British landscape, figurative and portrait artist and sculptor. He regularly exhibited his works in his native Wolverhampton and nationally...
has been preserved at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
A British Rail Class 31
British Rail Class 31
The British Rail Class 31 diesel locomotives, also known as the Brush Type 2 and originally as Class 30, were built by Brush Traction from 1957-62.- Description :...
diesel locomotive (31 430, now in preservation with the Mid-Norfolk Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway
The Mid-Norfolk Railway or MNR is a heritage railway in the English county of Norfolk. Opening as a tourist line in 1997, it is often referred to as a "New Generation" heritage railway....
) was named after her.Later a British Rail Class 37
British Rail Class 37
The British Rail Class 37 is a diesel-electric locomotive. Also known as the English Electric Type 3, the Class was ordered as part of the British Rail modernisation plan....
diesel loco (37 116, now in preservation on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway) received the name from the Class 31.
The Midland Metro
Midland Metro
The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram line in the West Midlands of England between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury. It is owned and promoted by Centro, and operated by West Midlands Travel Limited, a subsidiary of the National Express Group , under...
has a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
named 'Sister Dora'.
The main road through her home village of Woolstone, Milton Keynes
Woolstone, Milton Keynes
Great Woolstone and Little Woolstone are two historic villages in modern Milton Keynes, ceremonial Buckinghamshire now called jointly Woolstone or The Woolstones and forming the heart of a new district of that name....
is called Pattison Lane.
Sister Dora Gardens in ( Caldmore ) And Dora Street in Pleck
Pleck
Pleck in the borough of Walsall neighbours Palfrey and stretches from the bridge on Wednesbury Road to Junction 9 of the M6 motorway. It consists of a large green space called Pleck Park and housing estates....
Is named after her.