Rosamond Emily Stephen (1868 – 4 February 1951), was an English-born lay missionary in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

and advocate of

ecumenism Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

Biography

Stephen was born in

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 ...

, London,''1881 England Census'' in 1868, the daughter of Sir

James Fitzjames Stephen Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet, Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, KCSI (3 March 1829 – 11 March 1894) was an English lawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher. One of the most famous critics of John Stuart Mill, S ...

(1829–1894) and Mary Richenda Cunningham (1829–1912), daughter of Rev. John William Cunningham. Her sister

Katharine Stephen Katharine Stephen (26 February 1856 – 16 June 1924) was a British librarian and later principal of Newnham College at Cambridge University. Early life and family Katharine Stephen was born in 1856 in London, the daughter of Sir James Fitz ...

(1856–1924) was the principal of

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

. Rosamond Stephen's initial visits to Ireland were holidays in

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

and

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

. In 1903, along with Rev.

Raymond Orpen Raymond d’Audemar Orpen (31 August 1837 – 9 January 1930) was an Irish cleric in the 20th century. He was a curate at Rathronan and then Adare before becoming the Incumbent of Tralee. He was Archdeacon of Ardfert until his ordination to ...

, Stephen founded the Guild of Witness (later called the Irish Guild of Witness), to promote the Irish dimension of the Church of Ireland and in 1918 created the Irish Guild of Witness Library In 1921, Stephen moved to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, living in ''Ardfeenish'', 21 Mount Street, bringing with her books from the Irish Guild of Witness, it became the ''Ardfeenish Library''. In 1931, she donated some 5,000 books on the Bible and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, from the Irish Guild of Witness, to the church, and in 1932, the Representative Church Body (RCB) Library was established in St. Stpehen's Green, Dublin. She later added some 10000 volumes from her father Sir

and her grandfather Sir James Stephen a former professor of modern history at Cambridge. In 1969, the Library was moved to the site of the Divinity Hostel (now the

Church of Ireland Theological Institute The Church of Ireland Theological Institute (formerly the Church of Ireland Theological College) is responsible for ministerial formation and lay training within the Church of Ireland. It is located in Churchtown in Dublin.Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

through her father's brother Sir

Leslie Stephen Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, mountaineer, and an Ethical Culture, Ethical movement activist. He was also the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell and the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, Rosamond 1868 births 1951 deaths British librarians British women librarians Daughters of baronets