Educating Women

Sources

Lectures to Ladies on Practical Subjects 

This is a landmark collection of talks delivered by leading Christian Socialists, including F.D. Maurice, to upper- and middle-class women in London. The aim? To challenge them to think critically about their roles in society and to inspire them to use their education in service of others. These lectures tackled everything from sanitary reform to popular education, weaving theology with social action, and advocating for women’s expanded civic engagement.

You’ll find early expressions of what we might now call intersectional thinking: questions about class, gender, public health, and the responsibilities of the educated citizen.

Published: 1855

Themes:

• Christian Socialism

• Women's education

• Public health and reform

• Class and gender

• Civic responsibility

• The role of the intellectual in society

Letter on Sisterhoods (1854)

Author: Frederick Denison Maurice

This powerful public letter was written by Frederick Denison Maurice to Rev. W.J.E. Bennett in 1854, at a time when Anglican sisterhoods - communities of women devoted to education, nursing, and religious service - were causing anxiety within the Church of England. Maurice steps into the controversy to defend these communities, arguing for the spiritual agency of women and the social importance of voluntary service rooted in faith.

Rather than supporting rigid hierarchy or Roman Catholic models, Maurice offers a more inclusive and grounded theological vision. He insists that the Church should welcome these women not suppress them, and that Christian service must be lived out practically, not just doctrinally.

This text reveals Maurice’s commitment to gender equality, social care, and lived theology. It’s essential reading for anyone interested in the intersections of religion, education, and women’s history in the nineteenth century.

Themes:

• Women’s religious and social leadership

• The Anglican Church and gender roles

• Service, care, and voluntary community

• Faith and institutional resistance

The First College Open to Women: Memories and Records of Work Done: 1848 - 1898

Queen’s College: Its Objects and Methods 

In this foundational lecture, Frederick Denison Maurice sets out a radical blueprint for women’s higher education rooted in equal access to serious intellectual formation. Delivered at the opening of Queen’s College, London in 1848, Maurice challenges the classed and gendered norms of Victorian education, insisting that women should study mathematics, philosophy, language, and theology as a birthright. He argues that education should cultivate depth, reverence, and spiritual understanding, rather than surface knowledge or public approval. The lecture calls out shallow pedagogical trends, condemns the “cant” of fashionable society, and links the education of women to the moral and intellectual reform of the whole nation. Radical in its refusal to pander to social expectations, this text remains a vital intervention in the history of adult education.

Key Themes:

• Women’s access to higher education

• Anti-utilitarian pedagogy

• Intersections of gender, knowledge, and class

• Education as spiritual and social reform

• The critique of public opinion and shallow knowledge

Controversy and Defence: Queen’s College under Fire

In 1850, The Quarterly Review published a scathing anonymous critique of Queen’s College London, dismissing the very idea of higher education for women as socially disruptive and intellectually unsound. The article attacked the College’s curriculum, questioned its legitimacy, and mocked the principle that women should be taught anything beyond domestic skills.

Frederick Denison Maurice, founder of the College, responded swiftly and publicly. His Letter to the Right Hon. & Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of London offered a sharp and principled defence of the College, arguing not only for the education of women but for the urgent spiritual and social importance of doing so. These two texts, placed side by side, offer a window into the cultural backlash against educational reform and the radical courage it took to resist it.

Introductory Lectures Delivered at Queen’s College (1848)

In this extraordinary series of opening lectures, Frederick Denison Maurice and his colleagues lay out the radical vision behind the first higher education college for women in Britain. These lectures reject shallow, ornamental education and instead insist that women are capable of deep, rigorous, and socially meaningful study - of mathematics, philosophy, language, literature, and theology. Maurice frames education not as a means to polish social status but as a spiritual, intellectual birthright, grounded in dignity and shared humanity. A fierce challenge to mid-Victorian gender norms, this document opens a window into a transformative, liberatory experiment in adult learning.

Themes:

• Women’s access to higher education

• The spiritual and social purpose of study

• The politics of curriculum design

• Anti-utilitarian educational values

• Language, theology, and social justice

The Maurice Orphanage for Girls

Founded in the 1860s by F. D. Maurice as ‘the home for girls’ and later named after him, this London orphanage offered shelter, education, and care to girls in need; a radical intervention at a time when girls were often left out of public educational reforms. Managed by Anglican supporters and tied to the Christian Socialist ethos, the orphanage represented a practical application of Maurice’s belief in gendered justice, and collective responsibility. It later evolved into a Church of England children's home and continued operating into the 20th century.

Themes: Maurice and Women, Christian Socialism, Social Justice, Education, Care Institutions

F.D. Maurice on Women’s Suffrage (Letter to The Spectator, reprinted c.1870s)

In this rare and remarkable pamphlet, Frederick Denison Maurice takes a bold public stand in favour of votes for women. Written as a letter to The Spectator and later reprinted by suffrage activists, Maurice dismantles the claim that women should be excluded from politics because they aren’t politicians. Instead, he argues that their very exclusion weakens public life, stripping politics of conscience and care.

For Maurice, enfranchising women was not just a matter of justice, it was a spiritual and civic necessity. His appeal is grounded in a radical Christian belief: that participation in public decision-making must reflect the intellectual dignity of all people. Including women, he argues, would elevate the political sphere and help rescue it from corruption, hypocrisy, and narrow self-interest.

This is one of Maurice’s clearest theopolitical interventions and a striking example of how he used his public voice to expand democratic rights and reimagine civic belonging.

Themes:

• Christian socialism and democratic inclusion

• Theology and women’s political rights

• Maurice as public intellectual

• Suffrage and spiritual responsibility

• Victorian critiques of political corruption

• Theopolitics and social reform

The Female School of Art

Macmillan’s Magazine article:

In this radical article, Frederick Denison Maurice defends the right of women to receive artistic education. Writing at a time when women’s intellectual and creative ambitions were often dismissed as frivolous, Maurice insists that artistic training is not only appropriate for women but that it is essential.

He recognises the talent and discipline of women students, and challenges the social prejudices that see their work as less valuable than men’s. For Maurice, the Female School of Art is a place of public and professional formation, where women’s full intellectual and creative dignity can be developed.

Though his language is shaped by Victorian assumptions, Maurice’s message is clear: education should not be withheld based on gender. He saw the exclusion of women from serious study as a spiritual failure - a betrayal of the divine fellowship to which all humans belong.

This article offers rich insight into Maurice’s theology of education, his support for women’s intellectual development, and his resistance to the gender hierarchies of his day.

Themes:

• Women’s education

• Maurice and gender

• The arts and social contribution

• Public recognition of women’s work

• Christian Socialism and the dignity of all learners

• Challenges to class and gender prejudice

Carlisle Journal, 24 April 1857

This short newspaper piece publicly praises Frederick Denison Maurice for his commitment to education and social reform. Notably, it commends his work on behalf of both working men and working women - a rare contemporary recognition of the gendered scope of his educational mission. While brief, it offers a valuable snapshot of Maurice’s legacy as it was understood in his own time: not just as a theologian, but as a pioneer of adult learning, cooperation, and dignity.

Themes:

• Legacy

• Adult education

• Working-class citizenship

• Women and education

A Woman’s View of the Working Men’s College (1850s)

This short piece from The Lady’s Newspaper offers a rare female perspective on the early days of the Working Men’s College. With wit and subtle critique, the anonymous writer challenges the idea that education should be strictly gendered.

Far from opposing the College’s mission, the writer expands on it. She insists that women, like men, deserve a broad education that supports both intellect and daily life - including skills like sewing, cooking, and even home repairs. Her reflections show how Maurice’s vision for educational dignity had ripple effects far beyond the walls of the College, inspiring women to imagine a more equal, practical, and intellectually rich future.

This article testifies not only to the College’s cultural visibility in its early years, but to its power to provoke public reflection - even among those it did not yet serve directly.

Maurice’s Departure from Queen’s College: A Public Exchange

This piece from the Morning Chronicle (9 January 1854) includes a letter from Frederick Denison Maurice and a formal reply from the Principal of Queen’s College. Maurice’s letter outlines his reasons for resigning from the College, following controversy over his theological writings. In particular, his Theological Essays had sparked backlash from Church authorities, leading to his dismissal from King’s College and a tense situation at Queen’s.

The Principal’s reply is respectful but signals institutional pressure and a desire to preserve the College’s reputation. Together, the letters offer a rare glimpse into the public dimension of Maurice’s departure and into the clash between religious orthodoxy and progressive education for women. This exchange underscores the deep risks Maurice took in advocating for a more open and inclusive Christianity.

A History of Queen's College, London 1848–1972

Author: Elaine Kaye
Publication Date: 1972

This detailed institutional history charts the development of Queen’s College, London, from its radical founding in 1848 to its modern form in the 1970s. Written by Elaine Kaye, it explores the College’s pioneering role in the education of women and situates its evolution within broader changes in British higher education. As the first institution to offer academic education to women in Britain, Queen’s College stands at the intersection of gender, theology, and educational reform, and its connections to Frederick Denison Maurice, its founding figure, are central to the story. This volume is an essential resource for those studying the history of women’s education and Victorian reform movements.

Themes:

• Women’s education

• Frederick Denison Maurice

• Victorian social reform

• Higher education in London

• The role of religion in education

• Institutional history

• Gender and access to learning

Queen’s College: 1848–1948

Author: Rosalie Glynn Grylls
Date: Published 1948

This book traces the first hundred years of Queen’s College, London: the pioneering institution co-founded by F.D. Maurice in 1848 to advance higher education for women. Drawing from archival material, institutional records, and personal recollections, Grylls offers a detailed narrative of the College’s foundation, its early challenges, and its evolving place within Britain’s educational and religious landscape.

Themes:

• Women’s education

• Victorian educational reform

• Christian Socialism

• Maurice’s theology in practice

• Social history of Queen’s College

• Female intellectual life in nineteenth-century Britain

Queen’s College: 150 Years and a New Century

Author: Malcolm Billings
Originally published: 2000

Commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of Queen’s College London, this illustrated history by broadcaster and author Malcolm Billings offers a sweeping account of the College from its radical beginnings in 1848 to the early 21st century. Drawing on archival sources, interviews, and contemporary reflections, the book places Queen’s College within the wider social, religious, and educational transformations of modern Britain. It explores how the College’s founding vision, particularly the influence of F.D. Maurice, has evolved, adapted, and endured.

Return to Top of Page