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The Nuns of St Mary's
“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.”
THE NUNS OF ST MARY'In 1856, with the approval of the Right Rev. Dr. Briggs, Bishop of Beverley, Rev. Dean Michael Trappes, parish priest of the only Catholic parish in Hull, begged for the services of the Sisters of Mercy from Baggot Street in Dublin, their Mother House. The Order had been founded by Mother Catherine McAuley in 1831, to follow a life devoted to social service, including teaching, visitation of the sick in hospital and home, child care, shelter and training for unemployed girls. So great had been the demand for Sisters, that he was referred to the recently established Convent of Mercy in Clifford, West Yorkshire, to which the Sisters had come in 1855. Five of these came to Hull in January 1857, reinforced by a novice and a postulant from Baggot Street, to a small house attached to a recently built school chapel in Dansom Lane/Wilton Street. Thus was opened the first Religious House in the town since the Dissolution. When the postulant was clothed in St. Charles’ Church, she was the first woman ever to receive the habit in Hull. The Sisters took charge of the new school in Wilton Street – 90 boys, girls and infants - and the Girls’ school in Canning Street. Alongside this went their characteristic work of visiting the poor and the sick in their homes. Before long, they were allowed to visit the prison.
However before the nuns came to hull they had set up a convent in a small village called Clifford near boston spar. When the Rev father dean Michael Trappes requested help, 2 nuns named sister Starr and sister Kennedy along with 3 others came to St Marys they lived at the school for a short while before they bought a mansion called Keddy Hall on Anlaby road later the convent was closed in clifford and the nuns all moved to Hull
HOW THE NUNS CAME TO HULL
By
Paul Whitney
In 1855 a call for help was sent to the Dublin from the parish of Fr. Edward Clifford and It lead to a number of nuns been sent to the village of Clifford near Boston Spa where a convent was established .
Sister Mary Starr was appointed superior and sister Kennedy as Assistant and Bursar. Sister Starr ran a very strict and Spartan way of life at the convent
Fr Michael Trappes was priest in charge of St Charles Church and in 1856 he wrote to Dublin for help to staff a new school and chapel on the corner of Wilton street/Dansom lane
The convent in Dublin had already been drained of ready recruits so the request of Fr Michael Trappes was sent to the Clifford convent, which by this time numbered 24.
Sister Starr so that Hull offered her a chance to expand her believes and she along with Sister Kennedy and 3 other nuns came to Hull and lived in rooms of the chapel and school however because the number of pupils grew each day the nuns vacated their room with in the first twelve months
The Nuns moved into a large mansion known has “Keddys Hall’ which was on the Elm tree Estate at the corner of Anlaby road which was bought for 3,800 pounds
At there own expense the Nuns converted the stables into a elementary school for girls and also turned the dining room into a private pension school for the fee paying daughters of the middle class.
Sister Starr was to leave Hull after “The Great Convent Case “and Sister Kennedy took charge she began a new era by selling the Keddys hall and estate but kept the site of the garden plot.
She then order a new purpose built convent on the garden plot which was always referred to has “ The Mothers House” it had its own private chapel, it own elementary school ( St Joseph’s)and an adjoining secondary school St Mary’s High School” these where opened in 1883 .
The Mother house complex on Anlaby road was completely destroyed in the bombing of hull during the 2nd World War.
When Sister Kennedy died in 1894 Mother Stanislaus Dawson succeeded her.
At a public auction she was able to bid by proxy and obtain Endsleigh mansion and estate on Beverley Road in the year 1899
Once the site was bought the only Mercy teacher training collage was built along with a private elementary school after the war .
The Hull Nuns became known has the Endsleigh Nuns, Endsleigh collage and Endsleigh school By 1887 because of the traveling cost and other expenses it was decided to close the convent down in Clifford and the whole community of nuns moved from Clifford and settled in hull .
During the years the Nuns engaged themselves in a wide range of work, in addition to teaching they visited the poor and sick in their homes, made prison visits and established a” House of Mercy” in the mills and factories district where they trained women in the art of housekeeping and hygiene
they aso set up branch convents in Calton,Whitby ,Bradford,Middlesbrough,North Ormesby and 3 hull nuns went to australia . Catherine convent in hull was also opened
CHILDHOOD IMPRESSIONS
When l first started school l hated it with a passion, l just could not understand why l had to go to school,
and l can remember this lady in black dragging me away from my mother, Tears where rolling down my face has l was lead away, that nun must have had a grip like Samson has l know l kicked and pulled to try to break away from her but to no avail ,has l soon ended up in a class room of strangers. So it was understandable that l took a dislike to the nuns straight away and that dislike grew has they installed a way of discipline over me. yet during the short time they where at st Marys l also grew to like some of the nuns l think we where all sad when the time came for the nuns to leave our school.
over the years l have come into contact with lots of Nuns and l have always found them to be the most kind and caring people one wished to meet. they always have a smile on their face and a inner happiness which shines threw.
To me they are what Christianity is all about, to live in peace with thy neighbour with understanding and compassion but above, all with love
SISTER MARY THOMAS
NAME OF THE SISTERS OF ST MARYS
| SISTER STARR | ONE OF THE FIRST FIVE NUNS TO TEACH AT THE SCHOOL | 1857 |
| SISTER KENNEDY | one of the first five nuns to teach at the school | 1857 |
| SISTER MARY AQUUNIAS | HEAD MISTRESS | |
| SISTER MARY PETER | ||
| SISTER MARY BERNADETTE | ELLIS | |
| SISTER MARY JOSEPHINE | ||
| SISTER MARY THOMAS | ||
| SISTER MARY DOMINIC | ||
| SISTER MARY JOSEPH | McCOURTNEY | |
| SISTER MARY FRANCIS | BIRD | |
| SISTER MARY PHILIP | MURPHY | |
| SISTER MARY ANTHONY | RYAN | |
| SISTER MARY ETHERBURGA | McNAMARA | |
| SISTER MARY VERONICA | CREGAN | |
| SISTER MARY ATTRACTA | NAREY (taught at school before becoming a nun) | miss narey |
HAS A CHILD I COULD NEVER HAVE VISUALIZED THE SISTERS OF ST MARYS ACTING LIKE THESE BELOW YET HAS I GREW OLDER I FOUND MY CHILDHOOD IMPRESSIONS WHERE WRONG
bargeman1945 |
Latest page update: made by bargeman1945
, Sep 4 2009, 3:28 AM EDT
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| MaureenLancaster | The Lancaster Family | 2 | Feb 11 2009, 7:21 AM EST by chris_k | ||
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Thread started: Feb 11 2009, 3:35 AM EST
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I am one of 11 starting with Eileen all the way to the youngest Pat. My sister Nora and I are twins. I see a lot of "ex pupils" Mary McGowan,Mary Whittaker.
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