Lady Arabella Denny was an Irish philanthropist, founder of the Magdalen Asylum

Magdalen Asylum

Magdalene asylums were institutions from the 18th to the mid-20th centuries ostensibly for "fallen women", a term used to imply sexual promiscuity....

 for Protestant Girls in Leeson Street

Leeson Street

Leeson Street is a thoroughfare near central Dublin, Ireland.Originally known as Suesey Street, it was renamed in 1728 after the Leesons, a family of local brewers, who branched into property development and subsequently became Earls of Milltown....

, Dublin in 1765.

Early life and family

Arabella Fitzmaurice was born in Co. Kerry to Thomas Fitztmaurice, the 1st Earl of Kerry, and Anna Petty (daughter of Sir William Petty

William Petty

Sir William Petty FRS was an English economist, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to survey the land that was to be confiscated and given to Cromwell's soldiers...

). She married Colonel Arthur Denny M.P. for Kerry, on 26 August 1727.
A nephew of Lady Denny was William Petty

William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne

William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...

 who became Prime Minister of Great Britain.

She lived at Peafield Cliff House (now Lios an Uisce/Lisnaskea House), in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. where 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...

 the leader of the Methodist church visited her in 1783.

Philanthropy

Lady Denny was a supporter of The Foundling Hospital for the poor of Dublin. In 1760 she presented a clock to the Dublin Workhouse and put up in the nursery for foundling children, and used to regulate the feeding of infants.

She was instrumental in the reforming of the Foundling Hospital and in 1764 was thanked by the Irish House of Commons

Irish House of Commons

The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...

 for her extraordinary bounty and charity.
She worked with the Dublin Society, helping introduce lace-making into workhouses, in recognition of her work with the poor she was conferred with the Freedom of the City of Dublin in 1765. She was elected honorary member of the Dublin Society in 1766. In june 1767 she founded Magdalen Asylum

Magdalen Asylum

Magdalene asylums were institutions from the 18th to the mid-20th centuries ostensibly for "fallen women", a term used to imply sexual promiscuity....

for Protestant Girls in Leeson Street, which was a home for fallen women or penitent prostitutes, who were provided with accommodation, clothing, food and religious instruction.

In 1773, she founded the Magdalene Chapel frequented by many of high society in Dublin.
The Governance of the Magadalene Asylum, became the Leeson Street Trust, which was named in her honour the Lady Arabella Denny Trust, or Denny House, which is still a registered charity today.

The Protestant Adoption Society which became PACT named its office Arbella House in her honour.