Sara Louisa Blomfield (née Ryan; 1859 – 1939) was an Irish humanitarian and distinguished early member of the Baháʼí Faith in the British Isles, and a supporter of the rights of children and women.[1] She became styled Lady Blomfield after her husband was knighted in 1889.
Career
editBlomfield was born in Ireland and spent much of her adult life in London and Broadway, Worcestershire. She was married to the noted Victorian era architect Arthur Blomfield, son of Charles James Blomfield, Bishop of London. An accomplished writer and humanitarian, Blomfield assisted in founding the Save the Children Fund[2] and was a supporter of the adoption of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the League of Nations.[1]
Blomfield joined the Baháʼí Faith in 1907[3] and soon became one of its outstanding proponents and historians. During the visit of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to Paris, she took copious notes of his public meetings which were used in preparing the volume called "Paris Talks". As a tribute to her, ʻAbdu'l-Baha bestowed upon her the name "Sitárih Khanum" (in Persian, "sitárih" means "star", and "khanum" means "lady"). After the passing of ʻAbdu'l-Baha in 1921, Blomfield accompanied Shoghi Effendi on his trip from Britain to Haifa.[4][5] While in Haifa, she interviewed members of Baha'u'llah's family. Those recorded recollections, together with her account of the days when she hosted ʻAbdu'l-Baha in London, make up the contents of her book, "The Chosen Highway."[1]
Blomfield was an anti-vivisectionist. She was a member of the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society's executive council.[6]
Death
editBlomfield spent her final days at a nursing home. She died on 31 December 1939 at Belsize Grove, Hampstead.[7]
Selected publications
edit- Blomfield, Lady (1967) [1940]. The Chosen Highway. London, UK: Baháʼí Publishing Trust.
- The Passing of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, coauthored with Shoghi Effendi.
- Blomfield's copious notes are the basis of much of Paris Talks.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Memorial to a shining star London, United Kingdom, 10 August 2003 (BWNS)
- ^ "The First Obligation - Lady Blomfield and the Save the Children Fund". Archived from the original on 26 February 2008.
- ^ "U.K. Baháʼí Heritage Site: A Memorial To Lady Blomfield". Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.
- ^ Rabbani, R. (1969). "The Passing of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and Its Immediate Consequences". The Priceless Pearl (Hardcover ed.). London, UK: Baháʼí Publishing Trust: 2000. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-870989-91-6.
- ^ Taherzadeh, A. (2000). The Child of the Covenant. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 272–273. ISBN 978-0-85398-439-9.
- ^ Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society Report for the Year 1933 (PDF). 1935.
- ^ "Blomfield, Sara Louisa". Dictionary of Irish Biography. 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022.
External links
edit- Works by Sara Blomfield at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
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