Nonconformist and Dissenting Studies, 1650-1850

This page provides various resources for students and scholars concerning British religious nonconformity, or what is more often termed “Religious Dissent,” 1650-1850.  Nonconformity emerged with considerable force (and diversity) in the first half of the 17th century, with three groups – Baptists, Presbyterians, and Independents (later called Congregationalists – establishing themselves as the primary denominations, although the Quakers would soon form a fourth group with substantial numbers by the second half of the century.  These nonconformists, or dissenters, worshiped outside the established Church of England. Though marked by considerable variations in church polity, dissenters nevertheless created a distinctive culture marked by an emphasis upon education, business, social and political reform, as well as an appreciation for literature and the arts. Dissenting congregations were established by church “covenants” and existed as “gathered communities” united by their adherence to scripture over church traditions, an individual faith rather than a historic creed, though doctrinal platforms were not uncommon among all three denominations. 

The links below will open a variety of avenues into the study of religious dissent, especially the roles played by women as writers, booksellers, and printers. Some of the material, such as the Doddridge Family Correspondence, has been transcribed from manuscripts not previously known. The Mary Hays site is the most comprehensive site of its kind devoted to the life, correspondence, and writings of a major Romantic woman writer, as well as pages devoted to her numerous residence, genealogy, and published reviews.  Nonconformist and Dissenting Women's Studies, 165o--1850 will be of particular value to students and scholars of eighteenth-century women, presenting a massive amount of material representing a wide range of genres, such as poetry, letters, hymns, travel narratives, conversion narratives, formal discourse, diaries, and printed tracts, among others. 

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