WOMEN ADVISING WOMEN
Advice Books, Manuals and Journals for Women, 1450-1837

Part 7: Sources from The Women's Library at London Metropolitan University

Publisher's Note

When the Women Advising Women series was first proposed, the Women’s Library in London (formerly the Fawcett Library) was the place that we wanted to start. It is one of the foremost research centres for women’s history in the world. Looking through their holdings with Consultant Editor, Dr Amanda Vickery, it was clear the material was particularly strong for:

• The Education of Women
• Courtship and Marriage
• Role Models for Women

In Part 7 we feature 85 titles covering the period 1617-1838, building significantly on the 6 previous parts. There are also materials on:

• Cookery and Domestic Duties
• Fashion
• Fathers and Sons
• Mothers and Daughters
• Morality
• Women and the Law
• Women and Work
• Miscellanea

Some noteworthy items include:

Education

Advice books included concentrate on the importance of the education of females both in the formal sense and with regard to general conduct and morality. Over half of the titles are for the nineteenth century.

Two early items are: Reflections upon the conduct of human life: with reference to the study of learning..., 1690 and The Young Ladies Conduct: or Rules for Education, under several heads..., 1722.

A plan for the conduct of female education in boarding schools (1798) by Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin, was written for two ladies named Parker who were setting up a school for young ladies at Ashbourne. Chapters cover books suitable for young ladies’ consumption, music for singing and dancing, literature and history. Darwin’s ideas on diet and hygiene are very forward thinking.

The governess played an important part in the education of young women and the advice manual The Governess; or the Little Female Academy (1758) written by the novelist Sarah Fielding (sister of Henry Fielding) provides information “for the entertainment and instruction of young ladies in their Education”.

Thoughts on the education of daughters…with reflections on female conduct (1787) by Mary Wollstonecraft covers subjects dealing with conduct as well as formal education: moral discipline, dress, reading, love, matrimony, card playing and the treatment of servants.

Several of the advice books included are written by clergymen. Strictures on Female Education…(1775-1785) by Rev John Bennett discusses “the nature, quality and extent of female talents, and the comparative difference of understanding in the sexes….”

We include a pamphlet by Sarah Trimmer, author of children’s books: An address to Heads of Schools and Families…, 1800 in which she points out the need for reform in education. She had a strong interest in education and philanthropic movements and started Sunday schools in Brentford in 1786.

We also include advice books for the education of children such as Early Education: or the management of Children considered with a view to their future character by Miss Elizabeth Appleton. Topics include morality, religion, instruction and amusements. Hints for the Improvement of Early Education and Nursery Discipline (1820) by Louisa Hoare contains information on subjects including authority and obedience, vanity and affectation, manners and order.

An item by Hannah More is also included: Remarks on the Present Mode of Educating Females (1799) in which she expounds on the different ways of educating young women.

Some of the titles have been translated from the original French such as The Private Journal of Madame Campan (1825) which includes thoughts on the education of women with anecdotes from the French court.

Marriage

A wide range of advice books and manuals can be found for this subject. Over half of the items are for the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

Adultery is discussed in A modest apology for the prevailing practice of adultery, 1773 and in Matrimoniall honour: or, the mutuall crowne and comfort of godly, loyall and chaste marriage…, 1642.

Other early examples include: A Treatise of Jealousie or Means to preserve peace in marriage, 1684; Marriage promoted in a discourse of its ancient and modern practice, 1690; The Feminine Gender more worthy than the Masculine…, 1683; The true state of the case of John Butler B D… treating of a marriage dissolved..., 1617. The Batchelor’s Directory: being a treatise of the excellence of marriage, 1694 explains that marriage is a necessity but also includes an apology for the wrongdoings of men against women.

The benefits and disadvantages of marriage are discussed in: Some reflections upon Marriage, 1730 by Mary Astell, The advantages and disadvantages of the marriage state…, 1772 and in The duties, advantages, pleasures, and sorrows of the marriage state 1813 by John Ovington.

The duties of marriage are described in Directions for married persons, 1804 by
William Whateley “describing the duties common to both and peculiar to each of them…” Letters written by Juliana-Susannah Seymour to a young female relative, recently married, in The conduct of a married life, 1753 describe how a young woman of the time should behave towards her husband.

We also include volumes of love letters between a married couple, Elizabeth Griffith (1720?-1793) and Richard Griffith (d1788). After a long engagement they married in 1752 and four volumes of their letters were published in 1753 and 1767 under the title A series of genuine letters between Henry and Frances Volumes I-IV.

Courtship is also covered in Marriage customs and modes of courtship of the various nations, 1820 by Theophilus Moore. Most areas of the world are covered and descriptions are included not only relating to marriage and courtship but also to the people.

Fashion

The mirror of the graces: or, the English lady’s costume combining and harmonizing taste…, 1811 with advice on fashion and beauty. The following extract gives recommendations by a woman on how females of different ages should adapt their style of dress:

…. As I recommend a restrained and quiet mode of dress to plain women, so, in graduation as the lovely of my sex advance towards the vale of years I counsel them to assume a graver habit and a less vivacious air…”

Cookery and Domestic Duties

Frugal Housewife, dedicated to those who are not ashamed of economy; by Mrs Child, 1832 is devoted to tips for the housewife on subjects such as cleaning, cooking and health: “ …Rise early. Eat simple food. Take plenty of exercise. Never fear a little fatigue….”

Mothers and Daughters

Olivia’s letter of advice to her daughter..., 1808 is written by Olivia Serres (Mrs Wilmot Serres), the daughter of a house-painter. She claimed to be the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Cumberland but was arrested for debt. The letter consists of advice on modesty, wit, morality and marriage.

Morality

Elements of morality for the use of children… Vols I-III, 1791 is translated from the German by Mary Wollstonecraft with lovely illustrations by William Blake. The author states:

“The design of this Book is to give birth to what we call a GOOD DISPOSITION in children…. A good disposition is, in my opinion, a superior degree of knowledge…”

The advice books under Miscellanea cover the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries and some examples are:

Letters to Young Ladies…, 1834, written by an American, Lydia H Sigourney of Hartford, Connecticut give advice to her American audience on female employment, dress, literature and topics of conversation.

Others include Practical hints to young females, on the duties of a wife, a mother and a mistress of a family..., 1818 and Advice from a lady of quality to her children in the last stage of a lingering illness Vols I and II, 1778.

For the opposite sex we include a couple of items such as Advice to young men: and (incidentally) to young women in the middle and higher ranks of life, 1800-1810, by William Cobbett in which are included sermons on drunkenness and gambling.

This range of titles from the Women’s Library, London will be invaluable to all those researching Women’s History and Social History from the mid seventeenth to the mid nineteenth centuries.

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