The province of Sindh in Pakistan suffered appallingly from flooding last year. This province and the people who live there may be unfamiliar to you, but this location was the home of one of the lesser-known Christian heroines of faith, Blanche Brenton Carey.
Blanche, the daughter of a Brixham vicar, joined the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in 1884 and became one of their pioneer missionaries, serving in Karachi from 1885 to 1950. Her deep desire was to tell the women and girls of Sindh about her Saviour Jesus Christ.
Blanche worked during one of the most controversial periods of British history which saw great social and political upheaval, through the reign of Queen Victoria to the partition of India. Her life was one of humble, faithful service to her Lord. Through epidemic lockdowns, world wars, superstitions, child marriages, financial depression and political turmoil, her mission was to tell others about Christ.
Blanche, a great storyteller and writer, seemed to have a motto for each year. One motto was ‘Marvellously Helped’, taken from 2 Chronicles 26:15, because God was able to do that which man thought impossible.
Her main work was serving the women and girls of Karachi. Through God’s good grace she was able to open nine schools with over 900 students, an orphanage, a teacher training college, a widows’ industrial class and an outstation in a remote village. She visited the mothers of her students to tell them gospel stories using The Wordless Book (introduced by Spurgeon) and other illustrations. She had the ability to retell the gospel stories of Jesus in a way which resonated with the women.
She was a staunch advocate of girls’ education at a time when some girls were married before they had reached the age of 12, or were sent out to work to provide for the family. Some of these child brides returned to be educated after they had become young widows. Blanche became a senior figure in Karachi for women’s education. In 1928 she received the Kaisar-i-Hind silver medal for her services to the women and girls of Karachi, and a school in Karachi still bears her name.
Blanche faced loss: many of her students and some of her fellow women missionaries succumbed to disease. This included her beloved niece, Edith. Blanche told the story of a girl who suffered from fits. In spite of her sad state she was such a happy child and was loved by all the others. The girl used to read the Bible to a woman who took care of her and taught her a hymn. Blanche once heard her pray and thank God that her uncle had turned her out, or she would never have gone to a missionary and learnt to know God. Sadly, she died. Blanche comments: ‘Thus our Master picks up the jewels which man casts aside as useless.’1
Thoroughly evangelical, Blanche experienced doctrinal disputes as one of her closest colleagues struggled with Anglo-Catholicism. This colleague later met Amy Carmichael, who helped restore her. During this time of doctrinal angst, her mission station building collapsed and Blanche, who was now managing about 40 staff, had to find accommodation for them all. Funding was a continual struggle, and the home committee did not give their approval to rebuild. It took over four years, much fundraising, and a great deal of persuasion by Blanche before the committee did give the instruction to build. The accommodation was finally completed three years later. In the interim, the missionaries and staff took their meals under canvas, come rain or shine.
Blanche also suffered an illness misdiagnosed as malaria, only to discover months later that she had cancer of the uterus, which required an emergency operation. Blanche survived the operation and continued to serve there for another 20 years.
Her life and service were soaked in prayer, illustrated by her desire to celebrate her 50th anniversary with a day of prayer for the people of Sindh. In her 90s, she continued to lead prayer meetings.
In an age of celebrity culture we are often impressed by big names, even in spiritual matters. Lives of faithful, humble, daily service over a long period of time rarely make the headlines. Such is the story of Blanche Brenton Carey, an unheralded, unassuming British woman who served God amongst the women and girls of Karachi for over 60 years, from the height of the British Empire in India to post-partition Pakistan. Whilst her fellow-missionary and contemporary Amy Carmichael is well-known, Blanche Carey is now largely forgotten. She deserves better. A woman devoted to God and the people of Sindh. Her life should serve as a challenge, inspiration and encouragement to us as Christians today.
If you would like to know more of Blanche’s life her biography Marvellously Helped: The Trials and Triumphs of Blanche Brenton Carey by A. Russell is available from Amazon.
Adrian works on behalf of FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) with church revitalisation and is part of the Pastoral Support Team.
1. Records of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, India’s Women and China’s Daughters. vol. 27 issue 257, 1907, images 170 & 171 accessed through Adam Matthew Digital
* Records of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, Homes of the East vol. 39, Iss. 183, 1942, p.45, Cadbury Research Library.
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