Big Question
Caroline Chislom-Northampton's Half-Forgotten Saint.
Caroline Chislom is an iconic notable person. If someone asks me what defines a notable person, I just hand them a page of Caroline Chislom and say someone who is like that or can somehow find someone more impressive with an improved resume than Caroline Chislom. The reason I would choose Caroline Chislom over someone else is because I agree with her views on life. "If Her Majesty's Government were really desirous of seeing a well-conducted community spring up in these Colonies, the social wants of the people must be considered." I chose this quote because I love how it just proves everything I stand for and everything I like her for. Like how it is saying that to build anything you need a good foundation ask anyone from a builder to a President. A good foundation makes for a long-lasting tower.
1808 was the birthdate for a saint, the place of Northampton England was christened by Caroline Chislom when she was born, whilst this might be 68 years to junior it is about the sentiment and the fact that she was a saint (16th of May is her date on the calendar). When the clock struck 12 on Carolines 22nd birthday or around then she married Captain Archibald Chislom whom was 13 years her senior, Caroline at first was much deterrent to this idea but with her parents yapping and the promise of her philanthropist work to continue she reluctantly agreed. Their ceremony was rumored to be beautiful with the captain being Roman Catholic (most people sing in unison that this was her reason to do a 180-degree twist on her faith) held the wedding in a beautiful cathedral. In just 2 years being 1832 Caroline moved with the Captain to Madras were Caroline founded the Female School of Industry for the daughters of European Soldiers.
The school helped girls receive an education that Caroline herself wanted. For Caroline to quote from https://biography.yourdictionary.com/caroline-chisholm "Caroline received an education that reflected the times. Quote meaning that her educate was cut to the chase and not extremely informative.
They year was 1838 when the Chisolm's decided to spend the captains leave in Australia, arriving in Australia in September they made their way to Windsor where they chose to settle. Within the 2 years of being in Australia Caroline had 3 boys but sadly a bit after the 3rd boy was born Captain Chisolm was deployed and then Australia started to go through a shortage of farmers and rural labours, even though there were hundreds of immigrants littered on the streets of Sydney. So eventually Caroline Chisolm approached the Governor and Lady Gipps with them there was also the proprietors of Sydney Herald with an incredible plan to build a Female Immigrants Shelter this plan if not for Caroline persuasive skills would have been thrown out as soon as she spoke a word of it, after the presentation was finished the Governor and the Sydney Herald they remarked it as un-Catholic and un-holy but she managed to convince Lady Gipps that she was an objective philanthropist and that this was a good idea. Lady Gipps agreed on all points and since happy wife happy life is a fact the Governor gave her half an old Immigrants arrival place. This shelter was only surviving on donations it was a miracle that it survived let alone that it sheltered up to 96 women at a time. It was also the only free employment registry in Sydney I say employment because the second aim of the shelter was to teach the women to be able to work on rural areas as labour's.
Now since Caroline cannot stop being a good person, which is a blessing and a curse, the blessing being that she saved many lives and the curse being I must keep on writing decided to handle the unemployment in the country. So, throughout 1842 she went around the rural areas of N.S.W making a dozen unemployment centers. Which was a massive success, some people even started guessing that she should become the Governor, but it would be 24th June 2010 that Julia Gilliard was picked Prime Minister 168 years away. When she finally got home back to Windsor, she had to check on the progress on the Female Immigrants Home where she was able to say how much of a success than anyone ever excluded infact it was such a hit that Caroline announced the closing of the home her plan with the immigrants was to as I said before dispersing into the rural labour industry. So many farmers were excited for this infact that Caroline had to make a spread sheet to rank how much each person needed the farmers and if so, how many do they need to try and make it even.
In 1845 captain Chisolm retired from the navy to help with his Wife, denied government aid in the financial department the Chisolm’s had to be on their feet. Eventually after planning and thinking about what to do they decided upon travelling around New South Wales and collected over 600 statements from Immigrants, some Caroline knew some new. This information or was they said at the time ‘voluntary information’ was used as a guide from English people who wish to emigrate to Australia. After gathering those her and the captain decided to head back to Dublin. Since she was already a hero in New South Wales and her colonization dream for it becoming a reality, she felt that she was complete with Australia for now. Even though her last few days here being a vale of controversy.
London was no different to Australia to Caroline, all she can see is imperfections, imperfections of which she is going to fix day after day after day. Imperfection number one being the forced pay for the passage for all emancipists’ wives (emancipists’ meaning a convict who has served their sentence or has been pardoned), in the Asia and Waverly area’s and for the 75 children which wanted to go in the Sir Edward Parry (which is an Antarctic explorer). Now for this plan to work she needed to earn the sympathy of Earl Grey (not the tea) and James Stephen. Of which she did through clever arguments. After that had been completed Caroline Chislom did what any normal person would do and argue with the House of Lords about the execution door. Yes, Caroline Chislom, after getting 150 people free shipping to Antarctica, decided to argue with the Government about execution. And I want you to guess what happened she almost got it through she got rid of the death penalty for robbing someone with the goods being worth at over 7 pounds. To goods being worth over 50 pounds. She then made a pamphlet to Earl Grey and James Stephen as a way of saying thank you to them for supporting her with her arguments. Her pamphlet also included her first public attack on the Wakefield system.
Caroline then had an incredible idea of making a land-ticket system for emigrants to use for the emigration boats were getting out of hands. But this idea was struck down by the influence of London by alarmed citizens. She then made a committee of “comfortable” London merchants and after she gave them a lecture and a tour of Scotland her colonisation loan society to help citizens emigrate without having to save for years. The way the committee worked was that the committee would pay half the costs and that they would pay the other half. Or if the family could not afford half the committee would pay all of it and they would have to pay it back. How Caroline managed to convince them that this would be beneficial I do not know and personally am in aww about it.
Charles Dickens gave society powerful aid in 1851-52 by advertising the committee in Household Words. Going back two years on the 1st of October 1850 when the first chartered ship sailed, Caroline supervised to see if they would be a good place for her girls, her poor friendless girls, and their families. Caroline, after deciding it would be a promising idea, decided it would be okay for them to rest upon. Caroline also hired a surgeon just in case. But the captain still served the rations, but the main purpose of these ships was to find gold, which was the main problem for Caroline, she was still Ancy about sending the girls on the ships.
All was going well for Caroline until 1851 when captain Chisholm left for Australia to help with colonial duties, this left Caroline alone at England with the not talked about kids. A year later Caroline decided to go on a vacation to tour around the British isle later stopping off at European country’s these included France, Italy, and Germany to just name a couple, she did many activities across the countries one of these activities included visiting the pope whilst she was in Italy. Going back to England she was asked to make comments about the boats, saying that they were getting some not so delighted customers. Caroline reluctantly agreed after claiming that she was simply not travel women she was a philanthropist not a critic. But her comments did go to a notable cause for they helped pass the passenger act of 1852. The boating community liked this so much that they built a boat to donate it to Caroline Chisholm society. This boat went on its maiden voyage September 1853 on the boat included a party of girls from the Jewish Ladies’ Benevolent Society. This action remarked that Caroline was one of the most famous people in England. Life goals am I right?
Caroline, after receiving a letter from her spouse the captain decided to set sail to Ballarat, Victoria, Melbourne. People after hearing of her soon departure decided to make her a care package of sorts in all giving her 920 pounds which is quite definitely enough to bring her and her kids to Australia in first class, coming on her boat as well are 3000 soon to be immigrants for the committee of wealthy English merchants have accumulated 15,000 pounds of donations.
She arrived in Australia in July, getting there she was gifted with meetings, when she finally had time to talk with her husband, she was extremely impressed how her husband had saved her good name and how her scheme had flourished over the nation. It had flourished so much infact that the Victorian Legislative Counsil had voted to give them 5,000 pounds and another 2,500 pounds had been given as donations to them. This was much needed for the family was even though Caroline’s family were semi rich, and the captains were rich, they had run themselves out of most of their money. They also opened a store with this money, this was reluctantly agreed upon by Caroline.
1854 was the year when the Chisolm’s caught onto the trend of the gold rush, so they moved to the gold fields in Melbourne, later going to a meeting with the Victoria government with a plan to set up little shelters all the way to the goldfields this idea was a success and by the end of 1855 all the shelters were finished or quite far through on completion. She did little jobs here and there until 1857 where she was diagnosed with kidney disease. So, in November of that year the family decided to move to Kyneton. Where the captain got promoted to the major of retirees this was in November in 1854. But in 1859 Caroline returned to Sydney to seek medical treatment. But with her condition getting worse her financial situation, Caroline was forced to open a for profit girls' school, even with her boys running the store they were not getting close enough to pay the bills. The school went great though and gave them enough money to pay for Caroline’s medical treatment.
In June 1866, the Chisolm's returned back to England with a pension of 100 pounds. At first Chisolm’s lived in Liverpool then they eventually moved to Highgate in London where Caroline died on March 25th, 1877. And her husband died next August and was buried in the same grave. The headstone reading out “The emigrant’s friend.”
Caroline has done some much in her life, she is a real saint at heart, and she should be very much appreciated, even though people like Gandi are more officially known Caroline has done some much in her life that she should be more known, because just like my slogan says she is a half-forgotten saint.