Excellent Women

Faith, family responsibilities and service to others connect the lives collected in Excellent Women. Several writers contribute Christian biographies of women including Elizabeth Fry, Hannah More, Susanna Wesley, Ann Judson and Mary Louisa Whately. The first account follows Fry's upbringing in Norwich and uses her private journal to trace the development of her religious convictions. Her visits to the sick and lessons for poorer children show how personal belief became practical work in her community.

In the account of Susanna Wesley, letters and family circumstances bring religious history into the household. The later excerpt describes her widowhood, the support offered by her children and her thoughts on the religious work of John and Charles Wesley. Personal records sit alongside commentary from the biographers, giving readers both the women's words and the writers' interpretations. The collection offers material for readers interested in women's lives, Christian thought and the relationship between faith, education and care for others.