Catherine Booth

At the home of Edward Rabbits, in 1851, she met William Booth, who also had been expelled by the Wesleyans for reform sympathies.

William was reciting a temperance poem, "The Grog-seller’s Dream", which appealed to Catherine, who had embraced the new Methodist passion for abstinence.

During their three-year engagement, Catherine constantly wrote letters of encouragement to William as he performed the tiring work of a preacher.

Though she was extremely nervous, she enjoyed working with young people and found the courage to speak in children's meetings.

Catherine Booth was eloquent and compelling in speech, articulate and devastatingly logical in writing, she had for over twenty years defended the right of women to preach the gospel on the same terms as men.

At first, Catherine and her husband had shared a ministry as traveling evangelists, but then she came into great demand as a preacher in her own right, especially among the well-to-do.

A woman preacher was a rare phenomenon in a world where women had few civil rights, and no place in the professions.

Catherine Booth was both a woman and a fine preacher, a magnetic combination that attracted large numbers to hear her and made its own statement about the validity of women's ministry.

[2] Amongst other activities, Catherine lobbied Queen Victoria to seek legislation for safeguarding females, in the form of the "Parliamentary Bill for the protection of girls"[6] They began the work of The Christian Mission in 1865 in London's East End.

William preached to the poor and ragged and Catherine spoke to the wealthy, gaining support for their financially demanding ministry.

The idea that single female officers could manage on less money than their male counterparts was abolished before the Second World War.

She was behind many of the changes in the new organization, designing the flag and bonnets for the ladies, and contributed to the Army's ideas on many important issues and matters of belief.

The Booths rented a small villa, Crossley House, in Clacton-on-Sea, which had a sea view that she loved.

Subsequently, Crossley House was donated to people with learning disabilities and provided many summer holidays until it was sold to property developers in 2005.