The Clapham Sect: How Wilberforce's Circle Transformed Britain

A thorough assessment of the long term influence of the Clapham Sect on Victorian Britain and the Empire The Clapham Sect was a group of evangelical Christians, prominent in England from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and promoted missionary work at home and abroad. The group centered on the church of John Venn, rector of Clapham in south London. Its members included William Wilberforce, Henry Thornton, James Stephen, Zachary Macaulay, and others. Here is the fascinating story of the web of family relations in the group--father and son, aunt and nephew, husband and wife, daughter and father, cousins, etc. Within the story of the people are the stories of their famous campaigns against slavery, the Sierra Leone colony, Indian mission, home mission, charity, and politics.