Hannah More (1745–1833)
Author of Grace to the Humble
About the Author
Image credit: Undated print (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Reproduction number: LC-USZ62-30514)
Works by Hannah More
The Spirit of Prayer: Selected and Compiled by the Author from Various Portions of Her Works Exclusively on That Subject (1986) 8 copies
Stories for the Young Or, Cheap Repository Tracts: Entertaining, Moral, and Religious. Vol. VI. (2012) 4 copies
Christian morals 3 copies
Works 2 copies
The works of Hannah More : in eight volumes : including several pieces never before published 2 copies
The Complete Hannah More Volume 1: Essays on Various Subjects - Principally Designed for Young Ladies (2021) 2 copies
Search after happiness : a pastoral drama ; and, Armine and Elvira : a legendary tale in two parts 2 copies
The happy waterman 1 copy
Tales & Allegories 1 copy
Stories for young people 1 copy
Poems 1 copy
Letters of Hannah More to Zachary Macaulay, esq., containing notices of Lord Macaulay's youth. Now first published. (2011) 1 copy
Moral sketches of prevailing opinions & manners, foreign & domestic: w/ reflections on prayer 1 copy
Tales for Young People 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Chip, Will
- Birthdate
- 1745-02-02
- Date of death
- 1833-09-07
- Gender
- female
- Education
- at home
- Occupations
- teacher
writer
philanthropist
dramatist
essayist - Organizations
- Bluestocking Society
- Relationships
- Charlotte Elizabeth (friend)
- Short biography
- Hannah More was educated by her father Jacob More, a teacher, and was noted for her knowledge of mathematics and several languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. In 1773-74, she moved to London, where she wrote several extremely successful plays. She was a member of the literary and intellectual circle of women known as the bluestockings, and her works were much admired by Horace Walpole. Her best known poem "Bas Bleu" (1786) concerned her literary coterie. Hannah More later became a religious Evangelical and an abolitionist, and turned to producing moral tracts such as Village Politics by Will Chip (1793) and the series Cheap Repository Tracts (1795–1798).
- Nationality
- England
UK - Birthplace
- Stapleton, Gloucestershire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Wrington, Somerset, England - Place of death
- Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, UK
- Burial location
- All Saints' Church, Wrington, North Somerset, England
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
A fairly intellectual work that still reads crisply--More dismisses Classical authors (the Stoics prominent) whose work was deployed in the 18th century to justify or manage perceptions of slavery, and hammers at the hypocrisy of denying Africans what was contemporaneously being constructed as the core virtue of British national identity, freedom. She does it by chiding everybody for making Christianity look bad, but still, this is a principled effort and a decent poem-polemic.
An interesting short story (tract) from the 1790s about a girl of St. Giles led into extortion by an unscrupulous woman and saved by a holy one. Obviously didactic but it does shares a genuinely moving message of the importance of charity and the moral potential of the poor/working class while not look down upon them (despite the author's conservatism). Hannah More's work isn't groundbreaking, but the work is a nice window into the every-day material and linguistic texture of the past.
"A show more barrow-woman, blessed be God and our good laws, is as much her own mistress on Sundays as a duchess." show less
"A show more barrow-woman, blessed be God and our good laws, is as much her own mistress on Sundays as a duchess." show less
I read this book as part of my research toward writing a YA novel set in Regency England. "Coelebs" was a big seller in its time -- Austen certainly read it -- but there's a reason it's more read about than read these days. I give it three stars because it did what it set out to do and I'm not sorry I read it. That said, if you've already read everything Austen wrote and you want something else authentically Regency, I would recommend grabbing something by Fanny Burney rather than Hannah show more More.
Technically, it's a novel. Really, it's Hannah More using characters to explain her beliefs about women's education and Christianity. I'm interested in both those topics, but even I felt my eyes glazing over now and then. I did like the bits that debated the importance of whether human souls are saved by grace or deeds. More thinks both are necessary. As someone raised Catholic and now a hopeless heathen, I had no problem with this, but apparently it was a rather shocking idea in 18th-century England.
Hannah More was a fascinating woman -- if there isn't a full-length biography of her yet, I'd love to write it someday. She was one of five daughters, and learned Latin and mathematics as part of her thorough education. This was unusual for girls at the time. They might learn French or Italian in order to sound elegant at parties (or to have under their belts in case they needed to become governesses), but Latin and Greek were generally reserved for boys. Hannah's father was a schoolmaster, and had no sons. He educated his daughters, and they all became educators as well.
Hannah taught for a time and from a young age, but she loved writing. She also fell very much in love with a man who eventually jilted her. Perhaps he was worried about her family pressing suit for breach of contract -- this really could happen in 18th-century England if a man broke off an engagement -- or perhaps he felt guilty about the nervous breakdown she had as a result of his being such a cad. At any rate, he gave her an annuity of 200 pounds a year, which was enough to allow her to give up teaching and dedicate herself to literary pursuits. (Which sounds like a good deal to *me.*)
Hannah More was a playwright, novelist, and moralist (I don't know how else to describe the fact that she wrote lots of books about how to be pious and good). She also felt strongly about educating women and the poor, and gave money and time to both pursuits. She lived a long and apparently happy life, and there's still at least one school named after her in England. show less
Technically, it's a novel. Really, it's Hannah More using characters to explain her beliefs about women's education and Christianity. I'm interested in both those topics, but even I felt my eyes glazing over now and then. I did like the bits that debated the importance of whether human souls are saved by grace or deeds. More thinks both are necessary. As someone raised Catholic and now a hopeless heathen, I had no problem with this, but apparently it was a rather shocking idea in 18th-century England.
Hannah More was a fascinating woman -- if there isn't a full-length biography of her yet, I'd love to write it someday. She was one of five daughters, and learned Latin and mathematics as part of her thorough education. This was unusual for girls at the time. They might learn French or Italian in order to sound elegant at parties (or to have under their belts in case they needed to become governesses), but Latin and Greek were generally reserved for boys. Hannah's father was a schoolmaster, and had no sons. He educated his daughters, and they all became educators as well.
Hannah taught for a time and from a young age, but she loved writing. She also fell very much in love with a man who eventually jilted her. Perhaps he was worried about her family pressing suit for breach of contract -- this really could happen in 18th-century England if a man broke off an engagement -- or perhaps he felt guilty about the nervous breakdown she had as a result of his being such a cad. At any rate, he gave her an annuity of 200 pounds a year, which was enough to allow her to give up teaching and dedicate herself to literary pursuits. (Which sounds like a good deal to *me.*)
Hannah More was a playwright, novelist, and moralist (I don't know how else to describe the fact that she wrote lots of books about how to be pious and good). She also felt strongly about educating women and the poor, and gave money and time to both pursuits. She lived a long and apparently happy life, and there's still at least one school named after her in England. show less
R M McCheyne on “personal reformation“ I am persuaded that I shall obtain the highest amount of present happiness, I shall do most for God’s glory and the good of man, and I shall have the fullest reward in eternity, by maintaining a conscience always washed in Christ blood, by being filled with the Holy Spirit at all times, and by attaining the most entire likeness to Christ in mind, will, and heart, that it is possible for redeemed sinner to attain to in this world… Page 180ff show more
During the summer of 1842, he was exposed to several attacks of illness, experienced some severe personal trials, and felt the assaults of sore temptation. “I am myself much tempted, and have no hope, but as a worm on the arm of Jesus.“ Two weeks later he writes “I am now much better in body and mind, having a little of the presence of my beloved, who’s absence is death to me.“ Later, “I’ve been carried through deep waters, bodily and spiritual, since last we met.“ It was his own persuasion that few had more to struggle with in the inner man [than he?]. Who can tell what wars go on within? [He was invited to go preach somewhere, and he didn’t think he could, but a dear friend helped him, writing,] “I have a fellow feeling with you in your present infirmity, and you know for your consolation that another has, who is a brother indeed. In all our reflections, he is afflicted.… It is blessed to be like him in everything, even in suffering. There is a great want about all Christians who have not suffered.” [Robert agreed to go. He wrote back,] “Remember me especially, who am heavy laden often times. My heart is all of sin; but Jesus lives.”… “ I earnestly long for more grace and personal holiness, and more usefulness.“ 180-2 Spiritual warfare
301 Remember you are flesh—you will soon hear your last sermon. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30: 19. Just think for a moment if God where to remove your teachers one by one—if he were to suffer the church of our covenanted fathers to fall before the hands of her enemies—if he were to suffer Popery again to spread its dark and deadly shade over the land, where would you be? You that despise the Sabbath, that care little for the preached word—you that have no prayer in your families, and seldom in your closets—you that are lovers of pleasure—you that wallow in sin? You would have your wish then—you would have your silent sabbaths indeed—no warning voice to cry after you—no praying people to pray for you—none to check you in your career of wickedness—none to beseech you not to perish. Learn from so small a circumstance as the absence of your stated minister what may be in store for you, and flee now from the wrath to come. “It may be, ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.” Zephaniah 2:3. show less
During the summer of 1842, he was exposed to several attacks of illness, experienced some severe personal trials, and felt the assaults of sore temptation. “I am myself much tempted, and have no hope, but as a worm on the arm of Jesus.“ Two weeks later he writes “I am now much better in body and mind, having a little of the presence of my beloved, who’s absence is death to me.“ Later, “I’ve been carried through deep waters, bodily and spiritual, since last we met.“ It was his own persuasion that few had more to struggle with in the inner man [than he?]. Who can tell what wars go on within? [He was invited to go preach somewhere, and he didn’t think he could, but a dear friend helped him, writing,] “I have a fellow feeling with you in your present infirmity, and you know for your consolation that another has, who is a brother indeed. In all our reflections, he is afflicted.… It is blessed to be like him in everything, even in suffering. There is a great want about all Christians who have not suffered.” [Robert agreed to go. He wrote back,] “Remember me especially, who am heavy laden often times. My heart is all of sin; but Jesus lives.”… “ I earnestly long for more grace and personal holiness, and more usefulness.“ 180-2 Spiritual warfare
301 Remember you are flesh—you will soon hear your last sermon. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life, that thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30: 19. Just think for a moment if God where to remove your teachers one by one—if he were to suffer the church of our covenanted fathers to fall before the hands of her enemies—if he were to suffer Popery again to spread its dark and deadly shade over the land, where would you be? You that despise the Sabbath, that care little for the preached word—you that have no prayer in your families, and seldom in your closets—you that are lovers of pleasure—you that wallow in sin? You would have your wish then—you would have your silent sabbaths indeed—no warning voice to cry after you—no praying people to pray for you—none to check you in your career of wickedness—none to beseech you not to perish. Learn from so small a circumstance as the absence of your stated minister what may be in store for you, and flee now from the wrath to come. “It may be, ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.” Zephaniah 2:3. show less
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