Dorothea Foulger

Dorothea Foulger born Dorothea Rutherford (1787 – 1852) was a British missionary supporter and school founder. She started Walthamstow Hall school for missionaries' daughters and she played a key part in creating Eltham College for boys.

Life Foulger was born in 1787 (maybe in November) in the London parish of St George-in-the-East. Her mother was Lydia Rebecca (born Duplex) and her father was Dr John Rutherford. In 1837 a committee was created following an advert in the Evangelical Magazine to create "a home of the children while under its care". "Mrs John Foulger was the prime mover". When the school had its official opening it was attended by William Ellis who was the LMS's secretary, the minister and abolitionist Dr. Francis Augustus Cox, Dr. Andrew Reed and the linguist (later Professor) James Legge.

The school taught the girls a wide range of subjects but Latin was included to make sure that they understood linguistics and the structure of words. The school intended that the students, like their parents, would be missionaries. The results were that in the time up to 1878, 18 of their students became missionaries, 37 married missionaries and 57 others became teachers.

Death and legacy Her husband died in 1850 and she died in 1852. The Congregational chapel that they attended in Walthamstow had a memorial plaque to her and her husband. However the chapel was later demolished.