Lydia Sellon was a 19th-century Anglican nun who established several religious institutions. Born in Hampstead in 1821, she responded to a call for social and educational assistance in Devonport. Through her leadership, she formed the Devonport Sisters of Mercy, which later merged with the Sisterhood of the Holy Cross to become the Society of the Most Holy Trinity. Her work included managing orphanages, industrial schools, and providing nursing care during cholera outbreaks. She eventually moved to West Malvern, where she died in 1876.
Religious work
After responding to Bishop Henry Phillpotts's appeal for the poor, Sellon organized various services, including schools for boys and girls and an orphanage. Her community of sisters provided nursing during the 1849 cholera epidemic and sent members to assist Florence Nightingale in the Crimea. In 1864, she collaborated with Queen Emma to support educational efforts in Hawaii, leading to the establishment of St. Andrew's Priory.
Veneration and legacy
The Church of England commemorates her on November 20, recognizing her role as a restorer of religious life within the Anglican tradition. Although the sisterhood she led eventually concluded with the death of its final member in 2004, her influence on Anglican religious orders remains significant.