John Roach

Examining the world: A history of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate

and teacher, involving children in their lessons through discussion. Heath acknowledges that Trimmer had weaknesses, notably in the businessside of her schools of industry and in an apparent blind-spot over adult education: indeed, she did not seem to understand that literacy was a skill which could be lost. Her views became more conservative as she grew older and ever more convinced that religion should take precedence in every facet of the curriculum. She was not only connected to the Bowdler family, but made her own contributions to expurgating works, including the Bible. She saw her activities as part of the Established Church’s role as guarantor of social stability, but she was not just a pious handmaiden, doing the Church’s bidding. Indeed, engaging in Biblical studies was itself a challenge to patriarchy. She was also a pioneer of writing for children, and as Heath points out it was not Trimmer’s intention that these stories written in the late eighteenth century continue to be used in the classrooms for poor children into the next century, let alone to be extended to adult literacy classes. Heath sees feminist criticism of Trimmer as lacking in nuance and even unfair, and shows how Trimmer served as an example, indeed an inspiration, for increasing numbers of middle-class women to involve themselves in philanthropy at a local level and, in some cases, notably Hannah More (1745-–1833), to spread their ideas in print. Trimmer also attracted royal interest and aristocratic support, reflected in a long-standing friendship with Lady Spencer. Heath argues that Trimmer made it socially acceptable, even fashionable, for women of the middling and upper ranks of society to forge a public role for themselves through practical benevolence, including home and hospital visiting, friendly societies and poor relief. In addition, Trimmer’s writings served as a form of public relations for the ordinary teacher who had to work for a living, while she strove to raise the status of the governess. Indeed, she preferred the employment of a governess in the home to the practice of sending daughters to boarding schools. This book is from a doctoral thesis for which the degree was awarded in 1996. Only minor revisions have been made, more recent relevant studies are omitted, there is some repetition of arguments and key phrases, and Trimmer’s influence abroad (some of her works were published in America and translated into other languages, notably French but also Russian) is simply noted. Nevertheless, it is a pity that the publisher has set such a high price as Heath has provided a valuable reassessment of the works of Sarah Trimmer, not only for historians of education but more generally for the social history of the late eighteenth century.