Women and the Anglican Church Congress 1861-1938 : Space, Place and Agency

This book covers new ground in its focus on the Anglican Church congresses 1861-1938 as a public space in which the views of notable women were widely disseminated. It celebrates the contribution made by women to public life and discourse on womanhood as platform speakers, and commemorates the presence of the large numbers of women who joined congresses as audience members. Original research draws on extensive primary sources from official records, diaries and the press to capture women's views and voices and to evoke congress as a communicative social space and a window into topical affairs . Women and the Anglican Church Congress 1861-1938 examines the roles of women in the Church and reflects on how women with a sense of vocation negotiated contemporary attitudes to their positions and spirituality. The book also explores how women's secular aspirations towards citizenship in the context of poverty, work, temperance, eugenics, class and suffrage played out at congress. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of figures 9 List of tables 10 Acknowledgements 11 Archives and abbreviations 12 Introduction – Congress a space for women 14 1 Visiting the Church congress 22 2 Women in the Church – Deaconesses, Sisters, Missionaries and Spiritual Aspirations 60 3 The Mothers’ Union and the Girls’ Friendly Society 88 4 Networks – Organizations, Politics, Empire and Suffrage 110 5 Widening Horizons – Education and Leisure 136 6 Public Service and the World of Work 166 7 The Legacy of Congress – Women, Space and Place 192 Notes 205 Bibliography 249 Index 262