Michelle Crowther is thought to be the first person to study the records of the Persistent Scribblers Society of Canterbury.
The Persistent Scribblers Society of Canterbury were a late Victorian group of mainly genteel women writers who were active between 1875 and 1878. Almost all of these amateur writers of short stories or poetry had familial links to the Anglican Church. Two of the most active of these writers were the Dean of Canterbury’s 13-year old daughter and the far older daughter of a locally important lawyer.
The members adopted pseudonyms to present their short stories and poems that were on a wide range of themes including popular issues of the day. They would then vote on which were the best.
The notebooks of the Persistent Scribblers are an exciting recent addition to the collections of Canterbury Cathedral Archives.