Margaret “Madge” Emily Gissing was born in 1863, followed by her sister Ellen “Nellie” Sophia Gissing in 1867 at the chemist shop at 60 Westgate, Wakefield.
While their brother George has earned standing as an author, the sisters were constrained by the time and had far fewer opportunities. And yet, despite this huge obstacle, the “Misses Gissing” dedicated their lives to teaching and passing on the skills they had learned, a vocation that would mean their legacy is truly one that can be felt in Wakefield even today. Chiefly, they are renowned for founding Wakefield’s Boys Preparatory School in 1898. The school, though small, served to provide a thorough education for almost fifteen years before closing when the sisters moved from Wakefield to Leeds in 1912. On top of the usual reading and arithmetic, the Gissings oversaw sports education as well as ensuring the boys received instruction in music and languages. Accounts say the sisters, though apparently formidable, were well thought of among pupils. They even earned the affectionate nicknames “Big Gis” and “Little Gis”.
The other major aspect of the sisters’ lives was their religion, and this appears to have been a source of strength, particularly in their declining years.