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Dorothy Farrar

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Dorothy Farrar
Born18 April 1899
Died16 May 1987 (aged 88)
NationalityBritish
EducationBedford College
Occupationdeaconess

Dr. Dorothy Hincksman Farrar (18 April 1899 – 16 May 1987) was a British Methodist deaconess and preacher. She taught at the Wesley Deaconess Order in Ilkley and she was the second female Vice President of the annual Methodist Conference.

Life

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Farrar was born in Halifax. Her mother was Louisa Frances (born Hincksman) and her father was Joseph Farrar and he made textile machines.[1] She was named after Dorothy Hincksman who had been a nineteenth century missionary.[2] She was educated at the private Methodist Oakfield School in Arnside. This was a boarding-school. She went on to Bedford College which following her graduation she later studied further and gained a doctorate in 1931 in psychology.[1]

Her mentor was Revd Dr Russell Maltby who was a keen supporter of women and Warden of the Wesley Deaconess Order.[3] He encouraged her to preach in Halifax where she had a mixed reception. Some were very supportive, but others would leave the service as she began to speak without listening any further.[1]

Farrar became a deaconess in 1936 and she started teaching at the Wesley Deaconess College where she had trained in Ilkley.[1] Her mentor Rev Maltby was still the warden until 1940.[3]

In 1952 she was the second woman ever elected to be vice-president of the annual Methodist Conference.[4] Farrar retired in 1962.[5]

In 1978 it was decided to stop recruiting any further Wesley deaconesses and this was a disappointment to her.[2] However, in 1986 the Methodist Diaconal Order which accepted both men and women was seen by her as a good replacement.[5]

Death and legacy

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Farrar died in a nursing home in Holmfield in Halifax in 1987.[1]

In 2005 at the Edinburgh conference a lecture was given titled "A warmed heart and a disciplined mind perfectly joined": Sister Dorothy Hincksman Farrar (1899– 1987)" by Dr John A. Hargreaves.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004), "Dorothy Hincksman Farrar in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/52517, retrieved 22 May 2023
  2. ^ a b "Presidents and VPs at DMBI: A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland". dmbi.online. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Russell Maltby DMBI: A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland". dmbi.online. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Dorothy Farrar at DMBI: A Dictionary of Methodism in Britain and Ireland". dmbi.online. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "ANNUAL MEETING AND LECTURE 2005" (PDF). Proceedings OF THE Wesley Historical Society. 55: 126. 2005.