Elizabeth Anne Everest

Winston Churchill’s nanny, Elizabeth Everest, lived to instill godliness and biblical truth into the life of an unhappy boy.

As a child, his own parents and other adults often referred to Winton Churchill as a monster. He was incorrigible – kicking, screaming, hiding, bullying. One day, he stood defiantly before his Christian nanny, Mrs. Elizabeth Anne Everest, and told her that before he would do his mathematics lesson, he would "bow down and worship graven images."

His nanny was wise and knew his unruly behavior masked a hurting child, who desperately longed for love and nurturing. Winston was born two months premature during the Victorian Era when children were typically turned over to a wet nurse after birth. It is unlikely that he ever really bonded with his mother, who largely ignored him.

However, God had another plan to bring comfort to this special child. Mrs. Everest was hired as his nanny. She was his disciplinarian, as well as the one who cradled his head when he was sick. She was the one who told him Bible stories and taught him to pray. Mrs. Everest was also the one person who taught Winston the principles of the Christian faith, which he would eventually embrace, rallying his nation and interceding for Britain while at war with the Nazis. All this he had learned from his nanny, who had invested her life in that of a troubled child.

Behind this great man of vision and fortitude, lay the simple teachings of a devoted nanny who fulfilled her God-ordained mission by pouring herself into the life and destiny of a little boy.

Elizabeth Anne Everest - (unknown -1895)

Taken from: Mothers of Influence