Born at Hutton Rudby, North Yorks, into a WM family, she was converted at a Covenant Service in 1802. During a visit to Hull she met Richard and Hannah Woolhouse, Wesleyan Methodist class leaders. After Richard had encountered the Primitive Methodists in Nottingham in 1817, he, his wife and Sarah went to hear them. They became involved in the revival and returned full of enthusiasm. Sarah met Ann Carr at a band meeting at Waltham Street WM chapel in Hull in 1818. She agreed to go with her to Lincolnshire, where they both contributed to revivals in Market Rasen and Louth. But they were attracted to Primitive Methodism because it readily accepted women preachers. Probably influenced by reports of Sarah Kirkland's work they went to Nottingham (1818). Both they and the Woolhouses had by now become Primitive Methodists.
When the Leeds PM circuit was formed in June 1821, Sarah, with Ann Carr and Martha Williams, went there, probably as revivalists. Although they were very popular, they quickly became embroiled in controversy because they were not willing to accept circuit discipline. They soon left and set up their own church, the Female Revivalist Society.
In 1824 Sarah married John de Putron, a Wesleyan Methodist minister, who had spent 10 years working among the French Canadians. After their marriage they went to live in the Channel Islands, working chiefly in French-speaking circuits. John died in 1859.