Agnes and Margaret Smith
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Agnes Smith Lewis (1843/1926) and Margaret Dunlop Gibson (1843/1920), née Agnes and Margaret Smith (sometimes referred to as the Westminster Sisters), were outstanding Semitic scholars. Born twin daughters of John Smith of Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, they learnt more than 12 languages between them, and became pioneers in their academic work and benefactors to the Presbyterian Church of England, especially to Westminster College, Cambridge.
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[edit] Early life and training
The twins were brought up by their father John (their mother having died 3 weeks after their birth), a solicitor and amateur linguist. They were trained in private schools in Birkenhead and London, interspersed with travels in Europe guided by John.
After John's death, they settled in London and joined the Presbyterian church in Kingston upon Thames. They continued to learn languages and travelled in Europe and the Middle East. In 1870, Agnes wrote Eastern Pilgrims, an account of their experiences in Egypt and Palestine.
In 1883, Margaret married James Gibson; and in 1887, Agnes married Samuel Lewis, librarian of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Both men were in the clergy. Sadly, each marriage was soon ended with the death of the husband.
[edit] Academic work
By 1890, the sisters settled in Cambridge and began to study Syriac and Arabic. In 1892, they travelled to St Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai, where they discovered the earliest Syriac version of the Gospels known thus far. The next year, they returned to transcribe the whole of the manuscript, known as the Sinaitic Palimpsest or the Sinaitic Manuscript (Lewis), which provided new evidence for New Testament studies. They continued to travel and write until the First World War.
Though the University of Cambridge never honoured them with degrees (it did not admit women to degree until 1948), they received honorary degrees from the universities of Heidelberg, Dublin, and St Andrews, including the first theological doctorates awarded to women.
At Cambridge, they attended St Columba's Church. They were generous hostesses at their home, Castlebrae, which became the centre of a lively intellectual and religious circle.
[edit] Benefaction
The sisters used their inheritance to endow Westminster College in Cambridge. This was after Nonconformists were allowed to become full members of the Oxbridge universities by the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts; and that Presbyterian college moved from Queen Square, London to a site acquired from St John's College, Cambridge in 1899. They also helped the establishment of the Presbyterian chaplaincy to the University of Oxford, now at St Columba's United Reformed Church.
[edit] References
- United Reformed Church (2004) A Gift Box. ISBN 0-85346-222-4.
- D. Cornick and C. Binfield (editors) (2006) From Cambridge To Sinai. United Reformed Church. ISBN 9780853462514.
