The period 1650 to 1750 in England saw the development of small but positive changes in the education of women and girls. Increasingly, various writers began to argue that more attention and resources needed to be devoted to the way in which girls were taught. Although the accepted curriculum of religion, various kinds of needlework, reading, household management, music, dancing, history and French was not seriously questioned, there were attempts by authors such as Charles Rollin and Archbishop Fenelon of Cambrai to write schemes of study that taught these skills and topics in a more rigorous and interesting manner. A key development was the entry of women into the discussion, with writers such as Mary Astell and Bathusa Makin arguing for the need of better schools and a richer, more serious curriculum for girls. As this thesis is focused as much as possible on actual teaching practices as well as shifts in ideology, changes in the way Primers and Spelling books, which were used by mothers and governesses as aids to teach young children to read are also examined. Increasingly, there was a recognition of the need for intelligent girls to be stretched and of the danger to the household of badly educated mothers and wives. Female authors expressed their frustration with the limited education offered to girls. This thesis examines a range of authors and texts, including the fictional work of Sarah Fielding, the personal records left by eighteenth- century governess Nelly Weeton and discussions which took place in newspapers such as the Spectator, in order to tease out and illustrate the development of these changes.

The period 1650 to 1750 in England saw the development of small but positive changes in the education of women and girls. Increasingly, various writers began to argue that more attention and resources needed to be devoted to the way in which girls were taught. Although the accepted curriculum of religion, various kinds of needlework, reading, household management, music, dancing, history and French was not seriously questioned, there were attempts by authors such as Charles Rollin and Archbishop Fenelon of Cambrai to write schemes of study that taught these skills and topics in a more rigorous and interesting manner. A key development was the entry of women into the discussion, with writers such as Mary Astell and Bathusa Makin arguing for the need of better schools and a richer, more serious curriculum for girls. As this thesis is focused as much as possible on actual teaching practices as well as shifts in ideology, changes in the way Primers and Spelling books, which were used by mothers and governesses as aids to teach young children to read are also examined. Increasingly, there was a recognition of the need for intelligent girls to be stretched and of the danger to the household of badly educated mothers and wives. Female authors expressed their frustration with the limited education offered to girls. This thesis examines a range of authors and texts, including the fictional work of Sarah Fielding, the personal records left by eighteenth- century governess Nelly Weeton and discussions which took place in newspapers such as the Spectator, in order to tease out and illustrate the development of these changes.