Hannah More in Context has been jointly edited by Dr Sue Edney, lecturer in the Department, and Dr Kerri Andrews, Edge Hill University.  The book relocates the long life and literary career of the poet, playwright, novelist, philanthropist and teacher Hannah More (1745-1833) in the wider social and cultural contexts that shaped her, and which she helped to shape.

One of the most influential writers and campaigners of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, More lived in Barley Wood in Wrington, North Somerset (south-west of Bristol) with her sisters.  Barley Wood, now a conference venue and social enterprise, was the venue for the conference held in June 2019 where this collection has its roots. More’s love of the Bristol and North Somerset region was highlighted at the conference, and Joanne Edwards’ essay in the collection asserts the importance for local schools and community education of understanding her activism, including her anti-slavery work.

More’s reputation has suffered unfairly from accusations of paternalism and provincialism, and misunderstandings of her sincerely-held but now increasingly unfamiliar evangelical beliefs. This book examines newly-recovered archival materials and other evidence in order to present the fullest picture yet of this complex and compelling author.

For full details of the book, see the Routledge website.