‘Toward a Wider Sphere of Usefulness’: Women in British Baptist Life, 1873–1911

In British society, historically it was assumed that a woman's place was principally in the domestic sphere. In the nineteenth century, in a changing social, political and economic context, British women found opportunities to take on roles outside the home. This paper explores the way nineteenth-century British Baptist women – slowly and over time – found ways to become more involved in denominational life, which culminated in their membership of the Baptist Union Council in 1911.