Catherine Harrison Cappe was born in Yorkshire. Her mother was the daughter of Sir Roland Winn, Bart; she was kind-hearted, intelligent, and possessed refined manners even though she was not highly educated (Spears 55). Catherine's father was a strict Churchman, but his religious ideas were liberal. When she was twelve years old, she rejected the Trinity and became an Arian. As an adult, she became a Unitarian, thanks to her close friendship with Theophilus Lindsey, minister at Essex Street Chapel in London, and his wife, Hannah (Spears 55). Catherine lived in an age that witnessed radical political and social movements, including attitudes toward women’s education. She disliked the unfulfilling education provided for middle class seminary girls in York, het her ambitions and mental abilities were largely disregarded by her brother and father who still believed the domestic sphere was the most appropriate sphere for women. In 1788 she married Newcome Cappe (1733-1800), a widower. When he died in 1800, she edited his works. She also published several original works, namely “Memoirs of the Rev. Newcome Cappe” and “Thoughts on Charitable Institutions” (Spears 56), as well as several dedications and prefaces to her husband’s works. In 1809, she published her husband’s A Connected History of the Life and Divine Mission of Jesus Christ and in 1811 his Discourses in the Providence and Government of God. About this time she also became a regular contributor to the Monthly Repository, edited by Robert Aspland. Cappe’s philanthropic ambitions were significant. Her fifteen discourses in 1782 entitled “The Providence and Government of God” stressed that human philanthropy embodied in charitable organizations and friendships was nothing but a manifestation of God’s benevolent plan for humanity (Plant 21). Her friendship with Anglican women enabled her to push for a philanthropic reform coupled with a feminist agenda, seeking to improve the working conditions of poor young girls as well as the life of pupils at Grey Coat schools – creating a “female-friendly society” that sought to provide financial aid for old and sick people (Plant 18). Cappe’s feminist ideas highlighted women’s rights within a rational educational model that disavowed separate spheres for men and women. According to Cappe, political, social, domestic, public, and private spheres were interchangeable and dependent upon one another (Plant 24). Her memoir, written shortly before her death in 1821, abounds with her feminist and religious ideas.

For more on Cappe, see Helen Plant, Unitarianism, Philanthropy, and Feminism in York, 1782-1821: The Career of Catherine Capp (Borthwick: The University of York Press, 2003); and Robert Spears, A Historical Sketch Of The Rise And Progress Of The Unitarian Christian Doctrines, In Modern Times (1876).

Related Works

Cappe, Mary, ed. Memoirs of the Life of the late Mrs. Catharine Cappe. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1822.