author
Caroline Frances Cornwallis
1786–1858
An independent-minded 19th-century English writer, she explored history, philosophy, religion, and social questions with unusual range. Her work earned respect from major thinkers of her time, and she is often remembered as an early feminist voice.
1 Audiobook
Christian Sects in the Nineteenth Century
by Caroline Frances Cornwallis
About the author
Born in Kent in 1786, Caroline Frances Cornwallis was the daughter of the Rev. William Cornwallis. She was largely self-educated and developed a formidable command of languages and scholarship, building a reputation as a serious intellectual at a time when women were often excluded from formal academic life.
She wrote across an impressive range of subjects, including classical history, philosophy, theology, and questions of society and belief. Her novels and essays show both wide reading and a strong, questioning mind, and later accounts of her life describe her as a writer with feminist convictions as well as a deep interest in religion and ideas.
Cornwallis died on January 8, 1858. Although she is not a household name now, her life and work still stand out for their learning, independence, and refusal to stay within the limits usually set for women writers of her era.