| Activity | The Society for Promoting Female Education in China, India and the East was founded 25 July 1834. Its object was the establishment and superintendence of schools in China, India and the countries adjacent. It employed agents and also gave schools grants of money and boxes of work for sale.
The Society's main work in India centred on Madras (1837-1888), Cuttack, Orissa (1854), Calcutta (1855), Multan (1863), Ludhiana (1867), Agra (1869) and Coonoor (1895). In China the main stations were Amoy (1818), Ningpo (1848, but transferred to Church Missionary Society 1888), Shanghai (1856-1880), Hong Kong (1858) and Foochow (1875). They also had work in Singapore (1836) and Japan (Osaka 1877, Hakodate [Esashi] 1896).
In South Africa they worked at Cape Town 1848-1876 and their main stations in Kaffraria were Peelton 1855-1892 and Newlands Kahoon 1857-1883. The worked in Palestine at Nazareth (1863), Bethlehem (1878) and Shefa Amr (1889), and in Syria at Shemlan, Mount Lebanon (1861), and Lebanon (Beirut 1859-1862, 1868-1871). They also worked in Mauritius 1860-1881.
Their support for schools was widespread throughout India and China as well as Ceylon, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Burma, Penang, Greece, Turkey, Algeria and throughout the Levant.
In 1899, following the death of the Secretary, Miss Webb, the Society was closed down and the work divided. The Church Missionary Society accepted 24 FES missionaries and theor work in Palestine (Nazareth, Bethlehem and Shefa Amar), China (Hing Kong and Foochow), Japan (Osaka and Hakodate) and India (Agra adn Multan). The schools in Singapore were handed over to the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society. The Baptist Missionary Society took over work at Cuttack, Orissa (from 1 July 1899), while the London Missionary Society became responsible for Miss Dawson and her work at Coonoor. The British Syrian Schools Committee [now Middle East Christian Outreach] took over Shemlan (from September 1899) and the work at Ludhiana was handed over to the American Presbyterian mission. Ludhiana premises had been sold earlier to the North India School of Medicine [Ludhiana Medical Fellowship]. Supporters of the Society were encouraged to continue to raise funds and working parties continued to exist until at least 1915. |