Werburgh Welch

Who was Werburgh Welch?

Dame Werburg Welch, OSB was an English artist and Benedictine nun.

Born as Eileen Welch in Cheltenham, she was sent to Holy Trinity School, Kidderminster, shortly after it was founded. She was always interested in art and attended the Southampton School of Art and the Bristol Art School.

In 1915 she entered Stanbrook Abbey in Worcestershire as a novice. In 1919 she became Dame Werburg. Welch continued to study art under Desmond Chute and Eric Gill from whom she derived her angular style.

She was known for her designs of liturgical furnishings and took a lead role in the 1929 Catholic Times' Arts and Crafts exhibition. Her paintings and wood carvings can be found in many Catholic and Anglican churches in Britain including Farnborough Abbey and the University of Birmingham's Catholic Chapel.

She was a sub-prioress of Stanbrook Abbey from 1956 until 1968. She died in 1990.