Agnes Jones
Encyclopedia
Agnes Elizabeth Jones of Fahan
, County Donegal
, Ireland
became the first trained Nursing
Superintendent of Liverpool
Workhouse
Infirmary. She gave all her time and energy to her patients and died at the age of 35 from typhus
fever. Florence Nightingale
said of Agnes Elizabeth Jones, ‘She overworked as others underwork. I looked upon hers as one of the most valuable lives in England
.’
Agnes Jones was born at Cambridge into a wealthy family with both military and evangelistic religious connections. Her uncle was Sir John Lawrence
, later Lord Lawrence who went on to become Governor General of India.
In the early years of Agnes Jones life, the family moved to Fahan
in County Donegal, Ireland, though they followed her father's career with the army, notably to Mauritius
. She was a deeply religious girl and was consumed by a passion to benefit her fellows and redeem herself from sin. During a holiday in Europe with the family she met and was deeply impressed by deaconesses who were from the Institution of Kaiserwerth, which had earlier overseen the early nursing experiences of Florence Nightingale
. She visited the Institution in Bonn, returning home to Ireland to use the experience she had gained.
In 1859 she went to London, making contact with Florence Nightingale and Mrs Wardroper, senior nurse of St Thomas Hospital. Miss Nightingale said of her that she was " a woman attractive and rich and young and witty; yet a veiled and silent woman, distinguished by no other genius than the divine genius"
In 1862 Agnes Jones commenced nurse training in the Nightingale School at St Thomas Hospital in London. When her years’ training was complete, Miss Nightingale called her "one of our best pupils". However her greatest work was ahead of her and was in Liverpool.
In 1865 she accepted an invitation from William Rathbone to take the leadership of an experiment he was conducting in the Brownlow Hill Workhouse, one of the biggest in the country. This was to bring trained nurses to the care of sick paupers. This was a radical deviation from the normal practices of workhouse management, which by law were obliged to deter the very poor from entering the workhouse by making conditions inside worse than those available to the working poor
outside. The conditions in the workhouse were described "disorder, extravagance of every description in the establishment to an incredible degree"
Miss Jones contribution to the welfare of the sick paupers was enormous, and she worked tirelessly to make the experiment a success. However the work took its toll upon her, and at the age of just 35 years of age she died of typhus fever.This condition was endemic among the poor of Liverpool during this period.
The memory of her outstanding contribution to nursing, to Liverpool and to the poor is commemorated in Liverpool. A window in the Anglican Cathedral is dedicated to her memory, and a statue to her exists in the Cathedral Oratory. Also, a local housing association has named a large student hall of residence after her.
Fahan
Fahan is a district of Inishowen, in County Donegal, located five kilometres south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, St...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
became the first trained Nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
Superintendent of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
Workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
Infirmary. She gave all her time and energy to her patients and died at the age of 35 from typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
fever. Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
said of Agnes Elizabeth Jones, ‘She overworked as others underwork. I looked upon hers as one of the most valuable lives in 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...
.’
Agnes Jones was born at Cambridge into a wealthy family with both military and evangelistic religious connections. Her uncle was Sir John Lawrence
John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence
John Laird Mair Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence, GCB, GCSI, PC , known as Sir John Lawrence, Bt., between 1858 and 1869, was an Englishman who became a prominent British Imperial statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1864 to 1869.-Early life:Lawrence came from Richmond, North Yorkshire...
, later Lord Lawrence who went on to become Governor General of India.
In the early years of Agnes Jones life, the family moved to Fahan
Fahan
Fahan is a district of Inishowen, in County Donegal, located five kilometres south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, St...
in County Donegal, Ireland, though they followed her father's career with the army, notably to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. She was a deeply religious girl and was consumed by a passion to benefit her fellows and redeem herself from sin. During a holiday in Europe with the family she met and was deeply impressed by deaconesses who were from the Institution of Kaiserwerth, which had earlier overseen the early nursing experiences of Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
. She visited the Institution in Bonn, returning home to Ireland to use the experience she had gained.
In 1859 she went to London, making contact with Florence Nightingale and Mrs Wardroper, senior nurse of St Thomas Hospital. Miss Nightingale said of her that she was " a woman attractive and rich and young and witty; yet a veiled and silent woman, distinguished by no other genius than the divine genius"
In 1862 Agnes Jones commenced nurse training in the Nightingale School at St Thomas Hospital in London. When her years’ training was complete, Miss Nightingale called her "one of our best pupils". However her greatest work was ahead of her and was in Liverpool.
In 1865 she accepted an invitation from William Rathbone to take the leadership of an experiment he was conducting in the Brownlow Hill Workhouse, one of the biggest in the country. This was to bring trained nurses to the care of sick paupers. This was a radical deviation from the normal practices of workhouse management, which by law were obliged to deter the very poor from entering the workhouse by making conditions inside worse than those available to the working poor
Working poor
- Definition in the United States :There are several popular definitions of "working poor" in the United States. According to the US Department of Labor, the working poor "are persons who spent at least 27 weeks [in the past year] in the labor force , but whose incomes fell below the official...
outside. The conditions in the workhouse were described "disorder, extravagance of every description in the establishment to an incredible degree"
Miss Jones contribution to the welfare of the sick paupers was enormous, and she worked tirelessly to make the experiment a success. However the work took its toll upon her, and at the age of just 35 years of age she died of typhus fever.This condition was endemic among the poor of Liverpool during this period.
The memory of her outstanding contribution to nursing, to Liverpool and to the poor is commemorated in Liverpool. A window in the Anglican Cathedral is dedicated to her memory, and a statue to her exists in the Cathedral Oratory. Also, a local housing association has named a large student hall of residence after her.