Eliza Lowe and the Founding of Woodard Girls' Schools

"In its detailed account of the life of one of the great pioneers of education for girls in the nineteenth century, this is an engaging and insightful read. Penny Thompson, a beneficiary of the legacy of Nathaniel Woodard and Eliza Lowe, offers far more, though. She demonstrates powerfully how debates and achievements of the past resonate with contemporary concerns. It's a project I wholeheartedly commend." The Rt Revd Dr John Inge, Lord Bishop of Worcester, President of the Woodard Corporation "Thompson achieves an impressive depth of research, and applies it painstakingly to build a picture of these amazing people. Striking a readable balance between academic research and warm biography, this book's jigsaw-like interweaving of tightly referenced material will shed new light on the emergence of the Suffrage movement, the educational ambitions of young Victorian women and the role of Eliza Lowe in making them achievable through her schools." Lynn Murthwaite, retired Assistant Headteacher of Chesterfield High School, Crosby, Liverpool "Penny Thompson's intricate narrative takes up a methodological challenge. Evidence of women educators and their pupils is frequently missing or overlooked and she pieces together a wide range of sources that highlight Eliza Lowe's role in the development of girls' education. The gendered nature of Lowe's complex social, economic, and religious networks of place and space emphasises the centrality of education in understanding both past and present society." Stephanie Spencer, Professor of History of Women's Education at the University of Winchester