'A Great Politicianess': Ann Jebb, rational dissent and politics in late eighteenth-century Britain

This article discusses the life of Ann Jebb (1735-1812) in light of recent scholarship on gender and politics in late eighteenth-century Britain. Wife of the Unitarian political activist John Jebb, Ann was one of the most respected women among 'enlightened' Rational Dissenters. In the 1770s at Cambridge, and afterwards in London, she held 'tea parties' for reformers, and wrote pamphlets and newspaper articles supporting religious, educational and political reform. Her case sheds light on the activities and status of women in reform circles during the 'age of cultural revolution', and further complicates the separate spheres model of gender in the late eighteenth century.