Career
Hankey was born in 1834, the daughter of a prosperous banker in London. She was inspired by the Methodist revival of John Wesley and organised and taught in Sunday schools in London. In 1866, she had a serious illness and was bedridden for a long convalescence.
During this time, Hankey wrote her long poem, entitled The Old, Old Story, with 100 verses in two parts: The Story Wanted and The Story Told.
She recovered from the illness and lived to the age of 77, dying in 1911.