The Early Feminists: Radical Unitarians and the Emergence of the Women’s Rights Movement, 1831–51

This book redefines the origins of the 19th-century women's rights campaigns in Britain, demonstrating that a previously neglected feminist network existed during the 1830s and 1840s. Gleadle demonstrates that these reformers, whom she terms the "radical unitarians", should be understood within the context of the contemporary Unitarian culture. She shows how their desire to transform society and elevate women's position led them to embark upon many campaigns. This work fed directly into the women's rights movement of the subsequent decades.