Introduction: Mrs. Eliza Caldwell was a remarkable woman. She was a great woman of God, a companion of companionless, social thinker, a devoted missionary and far-sighted visionary. She championed the cause of female education in Idaiyankudi and Tirunelveli district, in line with her remarkable missionary mother Mrs Martha Mault, the mother of female education in South Travancore. She worked for the spiritual, intellectual and economic development of the people and specially of the women who lived in Idaiyankudi and in its surrounding areas. She played a significant role in shaping and moulding her husband Bishop Rev. Dr. Robert Caldwell as a great historian, Linguist, Tamil Scholar and a compassionate missionary. A perusal of the fertile profile of Mrs Eliza Caldwell will definitely inspire and galvanise the readers with a new zeal and spirit to serve the cause of the needy, ignorant and uncared people, and to live a meaningful life...
Ms Eliza Caldwell's Parents and her Birth: Mrs. Eliza Caldwell's father Rev Charles Mault was born in Salop [ Shropshire,] West Midlands of England, in a Shropshire family on the 11th of May 1791. Mr. Charles Mault was a student at Gosport and was ordained on the 28th of October 1818 at his pastor Rev. T. Morell's meeting house, St Neot's. Rev Charles Mault married Mrs. Martha, in 1818 at St. Neots. Mrs Martha Mault was a direct descendant of the famous English Statesman Mr. Oliver Cromwell who played a key role in establishing the Commonwealth of England and Mr Cromwell ruled Britian as Lord Protector from December 1663 until his death. In November 1818 Mr Charles Mault and Mrs Martha Mault sailed from Liverpool on "Wesmoreland" and reached Nagercoil, South Travancore in December 1818. [Agur, p. 727]. and started to labour in the missionary field in South Travancore as a devoted LMS Missionary couple. This LMS missionary couple gave birth to Mrs Eliza Caldwell in 1822 at Nagercoil. The Church historian C.M. Agur's maternal grandfather Mr. Daniel Paramanandam Deacon [ The first deacon of Nagercoil Home Church] and his wife Ms. Paramayi Fanny were intimate friends of Rev Charles Mault and Mrs. Martha Mault. As Rev Mault and Mrs Martha Mault were very busy in their missionary and official duties, the young infant Eliza Mault spent good portion of her daytime under the care of Daniel Paramanandam's family.
Mrs. Eliza Caldwell's Siblings: Rec. Charles Mault and Mrs Martha Mault couple gave birth to
three sons and two daughters namely:[1] Miss Eilza Mault [ b.1822, the heroine of this blogpost], [2] Mr. Dr. Isiah Mault [b. 1824], [3] Ms. Sara Mault and she married Rev. J.O. Whitehouse on 9th of January 1849 in Madras. Rev. John Owen Whitehouse arrived in Nagercoil in 1842 and took over the work of the Nagercoil LMS Seminary. Rev J.O. Whitehouse was mainly concerned about education, both secular and religious. Under him the Nagercoil Seminary became very famous as an educational institution and two of his pupils - Mr. T. Rama Rao and Mr. Nanoo Pillay became Dewans of the Travancore state, [4] Mr. Dr. Samuel and [5] Mr. Albert Mault and he became an Artist.
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Rev. J.O. Whitehouse.
Ms Eliza Mault's Education in England: Ms Eliza Mault was born in Nagercoil in 1822 and spent her infant and childhood days in Nagercoil and quickly learned the local Tamil slang, accent and the colloquial Tamil very fast and started to speak Tamil just like a native young Tamil girl. Rev. R. Caldwell in his book, "Reminiscences" writes, " When she went to England for her education, she went at a later age than most children and came back early and therefore never altogether lost the Tamil she acquired in infancy". Ms Eliza Mault was a good student and pursued her education in England with great enthusiasm and sincerity. After having completed her education in England she returned to Nagercoil in 1836. In Nagercoil she taught in a School started by her mother Mrs Martha Mault .and assisted her mother in helping the poor and orphan girls.
Mrs Eliza Mault married Rev Robert Caldwell: Ms. Eliza Mault was married to Rev. Dr. Robert Caldwell on the 20th of March 1844 at Nagercoil LMS Home Church [ Now CSI Home Church]. At the time of her marriage Miss Eliza Mault was twenty-one years old and her husband Rev Robert Caldwell, B.A, was twenty-nine years old. The wedding ceremony of Miss Eliza Mault with Rev. Robert Caldwell was solemnised at Nagercoil LMS Home Church by the Rev J. Thomas, C.M.S. missionary of Meignanapuram, Tirunelveli District. Rev. Dr. Robert Caldwell later wrote the iconic book titled, " Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages".
Mrs. Eliza Caldwell Moved to Idaiyankudi:
Next Part will follow soon.
By. P. BABU MANOHARAN, M.A. [ All rights are reserved. this Blogpost will be modified, enlarged or corrected later if needed].
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