Sophia Wintz
British philanthropist, editor (1847–1929)
Dame Sophia Gertrude Wintz DBE (1847–16 January 1929) was a Swiss-born British philanthropist who co-founded the Royal Sailors' Rests in Plymouth and Portsmouth. She was also a temperance activist.
Sophia Wintz was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Her father died when she was a child and her mother brought her to England. Her younger brother, Lewis Wintz, joined the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of vice-admiral. She was educated in a school near Fareham, Hampshire. While staying at Bath she met Agnes Weston, who lived there, and the two became close friends and remained so for the rest of their lives. In the 1870s they began to hold Sunday afternoon meetings at Wintz's mother's house for boys from the training ships at Devonport.
These meetings grew into a major movement in both Plymouth and Portsmouth and the two women later bought a public house in each city, demolished them and replaced them with the two Sailors' Rests to serve as homes for sailors of all nationalities on shore leave. The establishment in Plymouth opened in 1876 and that in Portsmouth in 1881.
The public source identifies “Sophia Wintz” as british philanthropist, editor (1847–1929). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sophia, Wintz and British.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sophia Wintz”, the useful work is to connect “british philanthropist, editor (1847–1929)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7562933. VIAF identifies the subject as 42147905250779092603. The Library of Congress control number is nb2016019687. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1847, 1929, 1876 and 1881.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sophia Wintz”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sophia Wintz primary sources, Sophia Wintz archive and Sophia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sophia Wintz”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sophia Wintz” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.