Women and Religious Coexistence in Eighteenth-Century England

Women were considered to be important guardians of community reputation and moderators of polite society in early eighteenth-century England. Despite this, little is known about how their actions affected religious coexistence at the tail end of England’s tumultuous long Reformation. Focusing on Presbyterian and Independent women in the aftermath of the 1689 Toleration Act, this chapter highlights that in many instances the faith of these women impeded coexistence by preventing them from conforming to gendered expectations of comely behaviour. However, it also shows that Dissenting women’s piety and fulfilment of neighbourly duties opened channels for their inclusion in wider society, and for more positive perceptions of their faith. This chapter therefore emphasises the complex but undoubtedly significant contributions of women to the overall operation of religious coexistence in this period.