The authors have done a tremendous service in digging through records, providing an inventory of women's contributions, tracing biographical details of women speakers, and contextualising their topics. The result is a treasure trove for historians interested in the social history of religion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and will surely influence future interpretations of the Anglican Communion's evolution during this period.

Modern Believing

Diverse themes such as philanthropy, politics, service, empire, place and space are used to examine women's agency and activism within the Church of England congresses. Meticulously researched, this is a deeply engaging book that offers an insightful analysis of women's lives, identities and experiences.

Tanya Fitzgerald, Professor of Higher Education, The University of Western Australia, Australia

The history of the Church of England has tended to be told as one shaped by the machinations of its male clergy and hierarchy alone. This book breaks new ground in giving prominence to the agency of the many lay women who served the church, directing and influencing its future shape through the newly created Church Congress, from 1861 onwards. This book presents a detailed and important account of an otherwise neglected aspect of ecclesiastical history.

Stephen G. Parker, Professor of the History of Religion and Education, University of Worcester, UK