Letitia Anne LAYARD [27032]

  General Notes:

THE CEYLON CHURCHMAN.
Mrs. R. T. Dowbiggin.
Mrs. R. T. Dowbiggin was called away to be "for ever with the Lord" on Friday, Dec. 5th after a gradual decline of physical strength which had disabled her from active work since the beginning of the year. She was the oldest missionary of the Church Missionary Society in Ceylon, both as regards age and length of service. She was born in 1844 and spent nearly all her long life in this country, first with her parents, Sir Charles Peter and Lady Layard, then, from 1869 till 1891, as the wife of the Rev. R. T. Dowbiggin, who was in charge of the Cotta Mission of the Society, and, after his death, continued to work, first at Cotta and aferwards at Liyanwela, in the same District.
Mrs. Dowbiggin was one of the pioneers in Ceylon in the starting and carrying on of boarding schools for Sinhalese girls, having commenced one at Cotta under her own roof in 1870. This school soon had a goodly number of boarders and has been a power for good until the present time, and is still a flourishing institution. On leaving Cotta and her official connection with the C.M.S. she took up her residence at Liyanwela, a place which had been very dear to her husband and where a considerable congregation had been gathered in from the ranks of Buddhism. There she continued to live and work among the village people, by whom she was greatly beloved and respected, generally having as her companion and fellow worker an English lady like-minded with herself. The soil was somewhat barren spiritually, but only The Great Day will reveal how many souls have been brought to Christ by the teaching and devoted life of His servant. Moreover, Mrs. Dowbiggin felt assured that there will be a harvest in the near future, a bringing forth of fruit after many days. Miss E. M. Josolyne, who has been Mrs. Dowbiggin's fellow worker for some few years past, is arranging to stay in the place and continue the work. Mrs. Dowbiggin has left a family of five, namely, the Inspector General of Police, two other sons, who are occupying mercantile positions in China and India respectively, and two daughters, who are both married and living in England, the eldest having been a C.M.S. missionary Ceylon from 1896 till 1904, afterwards being married to Rev. James Carter, who was also a C.M.S. missionary in Ceylon for some years. Mrs. Dowbiggin's funeral took place at the Kanatta Cemetery on Saturday Dec. 6th and was attended by a very large number of people. H. E. the Governor was re-presented by Capt. Holbech, A.D.O. and high and low, rich and poor, were present in the mortuary chapel and at the graveside. Among them were His Lordship the Bishop, the Hon. Mr. P. G. Tyrrell, a number of other Government officials. C.M.S. missionaries and other clergy, the principal, teachers and pupils of the Cotta Girls' Boarding school, many members of the various congrega-tions in the Cotta District, with their clergy, representa-tives of the Colombo mercantile community and of the Police Force; also a number of humble friends of Mrs. Dowbiggin who had known her during her long period of service and had been recipients of her kindness in many ways. The service was taken by the Rev. A. E. Dibben in the Chapel and by the Rev. L. J. Gaster at the graveside. May the Lord raise up many of like-minded devotion with her whose mortal remains were thus laid to rest and may His blessing be poured out in abundant measure on the Cotta District.

Dowbiggin Leticia Anna of Epitagedera Liyanivela Padukka Ceylon widow died 5 Dec 1930 at The Joseph Fraser Nursing Home
Colombo Ceylon Probate London 20 May to Rev James Carter Clerk. Effects: £5368 5s 2d in England.
National Probate Calendar

Images Courtesy of J L Herasimenko - 2018

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 2 Apr 1911, 63 Church Rd Richmond SRY. Letitia is recorded as a sister a widow aged 65 married 32yrs 7 children 5 living a missionary CMS born Trincomalee Ceylon

2. Letitia Anne Layard.
Marriage to Richard Thomas Dowbiggin, Letitia in old age.
Images Courtesy of Jane Layard Herasimenko Genealogist - 2018

Letitia married Rev Richard Thomas DOWBIGGIN [27033] [MRIN: 9711], son of James DOWBIGGIN [27042] and Agnes TYSON [27043], on 25 Sep 1869 in Galle Face Church Colombo Ceylon. (Rev Richard Thomas DOWBIGGIN [27033] was born on 27 Apr 1838 in Esthwaite Hall Hawkshead CUL, baptised on 3 Jun 1838 in Hawkshead CUL, died in 1901 at Sea and was buried in the Red Sea Middle East.)