Louisa Twining (16 November 1820 – 25 September 1912) was an English

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

worker who devoted herself to issues and tasks related to the English Poor Law. Her family owned the famous

Twinings Twinings () is a British marketeer of tea and other beverages, including coffee, hot chocolate, and malt drinks, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually used company ...

tea business on the Strand, which is still a renowned business. In the early part of her adult life, Louisa was an artist and art historian. In her 30s she started work on projects related to the

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

which she followed for the rest of her life. She helped to establish a home for

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

girls and a number of societies and associations related to workhouses and infirmaries. She also served as a Poor Law guardian and was president of the

Women's Local Government Society The Women's Local Government Society was a British campaign group which aimed to get women into local government. Its initial focus was on county councils but its remit later covered other local government roles such as school boards. History The ...

Biography

Louisa Twining was born at 20 Norfolk Street (now gone) in central London, not far from her family's

tea business on The Strand. She was the ninth and youngest child of Richard Twining (1772–1857), and his wife Elizabeth Mary, née Smythies (1779–1866). She was the youngest sister of the botanical artist Elizabeth Twining. In the early part of her adult life, Twining was an artist and art historian and she wrote and published ''Symbols and Emblems of Mediaeval Christian Art'' (1852) and ''Types and Figures of the Bible'' (1854). Louisa was inspired in her youth by the conditions in which her nurse lived in her advanced age: the old woman lived in one of the poorest districts in London. With exposure to such poverty, Twining felt inclined to improve social conditions. In 1853, she became interested in movements for social reform, and began the work in connection with the

to which she devoted the rest of her life. In March 1861, she helped to establish a home for workhouse girls sent out to service, in 1864 the Workhouse Visiting Society, in 1866 the Association for the Improvement of the Infirmaries of London Workhouses and in 1879 the

Workhouse Infirmary Nursing Association The Workhouse Infirmary Nursing Association was created in 1879 to organise training and act as an employment agency for nurses in Poor law infirmaries and workhouses. It later became the Workhouse Nursing Association. Princess Christian was the ...

. She was said to be ‘the most practical woman I have ever known amongst the many who have taken an interest in the subject’ by Uvedale Corbett. She was a Poor Law guardian for

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

during 1884–90, and for

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

Union during 1893–6. She promoted the opening of

Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is located in Holborn and is the List of city squares by size, largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a ...

to the public, helped to start the Metropolitan and National Association for nursing the poor in their homes, did much to secure the appointment of police matrons, and was president of the

. Louisa Twining died in her home at 91, Lansdowne Road,

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

, London on 25 September 1912. She is buried at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

Selected publications

*''Symbols in Early Christian Art''. 1852. *''Types and Figures of the Bible''. 1854.
''Recollections of Life and Work: Being the Autobiography of Louisa Twining.''
Edward Arnold, London, 1893. *''Workhouses and pauperism and women's work in the administration of the poor law''. Methuen, London, 1898. In addition, she wrote many papers on Poor Law subjects.
Books published by Louisa Twining
Internet Archive - read online

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Twining, Louisa 1820 births 1912 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Philanthropists from London English activists English women activists Louisa 19th-century English philanthropists 19th-century English women 19th-century English people 19th-century British women philanthropists

Biography

Selected publications

Archives

References

External links