Authority by female patrons. Patronage inevitably operated from a higher towards a lower rank in society. Only a woman of high social status could patronize a clergyman. The importance attached to exalted rank when it came to circumventing restrictions can be demonstrated by comparing any of these aristocrats with Hannah More, who just attained the lower ranks of the gentry.

Abstract

authority by female patrons. Patronage inevitably operated from a higher towards a lower rank in society. Only a woman of high social status could patronize a clergyman. The importance attached to exalted rank when it came to circumventing restrictions can be demonstrated by comparing any of these aristocrats with Hannah More, who just attained the lower ranks of the gentry.