| Summary: |
Papers comprise: letters from William Edward Soothill written from China to his parents, 1882-1885 and, to his mother, 1901-1911; UMFC missionary society account book for Ningpo, China, 1864-1881; letters from Lucy Soothill and from Dorothea Soothill in China to various family members, 1885-1911; photograph of W E Soothill c. 1882 and one of his wife Lucy Soothill, nee Farrar taken in 1891.
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| Admin history: |
William Edward Soothill was born on 23rd January 1861 at Halifax, England. In 1882 he became an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church and went out as a missionary to Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China from 1882 to 1914 serving with the United Methodist Free Churches, Home and Foreign Missions. During that time he founded a hospital, training college, schools and many preaching stations. He was also a considerable translator and lexicographer. His published works include A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms, The lotus of the wonderful law or the lotus gospel, The student's four thousand [characters] and general pocket dictionary and Timothy Richard of China : seer, statesman, missionary & the most disinterested adviser the Chinese ever had. For a number of years he was Principal of Shansi University. In 1920 he was appointed Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford. He married Lucy Farrar in 1884. She was the author of A passport to China: being the tale of her long and friendly sojourning amongst a strangely interesting people. Lucy Soothill died on 25th March 1932 and her husband on 14th May 1935. They had two children, Victor and Dorothea. Dorothea (1885-1959), later the second wife of Sir Alexander Hosie of the China Consular Service, was also the author of a number of books about China.
Further reading (in addition to the above mentioned books):
Soothill, W.E., A mission in China (1906);
Soothill, W.E., China and the West: a sketch of their intercourse (1925);
Soothill, W.E., China and England (1928). |
William Edward Soothill was born on 23rd January 1861 at Halifax, England. In 1882 he became an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church and went out as a missionary to Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China from 1882 to 1914 serving with the United Methodist Free Churches, Home and Foreign Missions. During that time he founded a hospital, training college, schools and many preaching stations. He was also a considerable translator and lexicographer. His published works include A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms, The lotus of the wonderfu ... View more |
