One of the largest religious groups for women in the 19th century was the Anglican Mothers' Union. This English organisation was introduced to South Australia in 1895 by Lady Victoria Buxton and Dorothy Harmer - the wives of the Governor and the Anglican Bishop. Within five years there were 49 branches with 1,350 members across the state. The Mother's Union was part of a wider movement that saw women becoming more active outside the home. As a religious body the society emphasised the sanctity of marriage and the influence of mothers over the moral training of their children. 'Those that rock the cradle rule the world' was a favoured slogan.

Buxton, Victoria, Lady, 1839-1916

Harmer, Dorothy

Mothers' Union (Adelaide Diocese)

Hilliard, David. Godliness and good order: a history of the Anglican Church in South Australia, Netley, S. Aust.: Wakefield Press, 1986

Matheson, Avis. A history of the Mothers' Union in Australia, [Toowoomba, Qld.?]: Mothers' Union in Australia, Australia Council, 1992

Mothers' Union (Adelaide, S. Aust.) Mother's Union Link, No. 1 (Feb. 1960)-v. 31, no. 5 (Nov./Dec. 1994)

Mothers' Union jubilee book: Diocese of Adelaide, South Australia, 1895-1945, [Adelaide: Diocese of Adelaide, Mothers' Union, 1945]