Patsy's Piece Revisited

 

 

This particular “voice” will probably be unheard of by most of our readers. I can’t remember how I first heard the name Hannah More. Perhaps it was reading the life of William Wilberforce with whom He had a close relationship. All I know is that when I spied a book about her life I remembered that she was a lady of some consequence among the Christians of her day.

 

I was totally overjoyed to meet this multi-talented, beautiful single woman whose religious tracts found their way into most of the homes of England and whose reforming and educational work amongst the poor was way ahead of its time. She (along with her five unmarried sisters), started their first school for girls in 1758.

Pretty remarkable!! Hannah, after various romantic non-starters, came to London and, with her considerable literary talents, mixed with such names as Samuel Johnson, David Garrick the famous actor and Joshua Reynolds the Painter. Boswell, who wrote the biography of Johnson, so disliked Hannah for telling him some home truths about himself that he quite simply didn’t mention her at all, in spite of a very close and mutually stimulating friendship with Johnson that lasted throughout his lifetime. This explain why she is virtually unknown. She had become quite a celebrity and wrote many books, poems and plays most of which were performed on the London stage.

 

After 20 years of her “London visits” Hannah planned to retire to her cottage in Bristol with her sisters. She wondered whether her life was ended……….. it was about to begin!

 

Her friendship with the Clapham sect of evangelical Christian reformers had strengthened her faith and she burned with zeal for the abolition of slavery and the education of the poor. When William Wilberforce visited her cottage he implored her to do something about the appalling deprivations in the rural areas around her and so began her reforming work.

 

The sisters began to visit all the nearby villages and were overwhelmingly shocked by the poverty and its attendant problems. They began what was known as the Mendip Scheme. It was a comprehensive programme of elementary education, religious instruction, industrial and domestic training and social welfare. It is quite a story.

 

Hannah’s understanding of the fatherhood and love of God was partly due to her own father, a School Headmaster, to whom some tribute for her life is due. In an age when educating girls was considered unimportant he taught his daughters himself. God used them powerfully especially the highly gifted and capable eldest daughter Hannah.

 

An amusing story about one of her many beaux is that of a man who backed out of marrying her at last moment but insisted on giving her an annuity for life thus making her financially independent. What a bargain!

 

To the end of her life Hannah used considerable talents and influences to further the Kingdom of God. She is inspiring.

 

Patsy Graham.