Roman Catholic Nuns in England and Wales 1800-1937
A Social History

Roman Catholic Nuns in England and Wales 1800-1937 : A Social History
(Irish Academic Press, 2002) presented a ground-breaking definitive text for students studying the social history of nineteenth and early twentieth century women in England and Wales.

An unprecedented rise in the number and growing influence of women who developed professional careers in education, health and social care, while at the same time dedicating themselves to a religious life in communities of like-minded women was the first of several ‘neglected’ topics which this researcher subsequently uncovered to reveal a wealth of un-tapped sources for social historians keen to unravel pre-conceived assumptions surrounding the radical changes that were re-shaping society at that time.

The study explored the down-to-earth socio-economic origins and pressures on the young women who were recruited into religious life - many of whom were Irish women migrants - and the importance of the contribution made by these professionals to educational and social development in England and Wales and the provision of welfare services by non-state agencies.

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'a landmark study... should be required reading for students and researchers'

Womens Studies International Forum Review, October, 2003.

'a fine study of a subject about which there is considerable ignorance, focusing on the manner in which nuns, through their work, impacted on secular society'

Studies, Vol. 92, Number 367, Autumn, 2003.

'a richly illustrated, thoroughly engaging and readable manner is one of the strengths of the book'

Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, Vol.30 Number 2, Autumn, 2004.