Susanna Corder

The school had been set up by Sarah Tuke Grubb (1756–1790) and her husband Robert, who travelled extensively in Europe as missionaries.

Corder was the headmistress of the new school, other founders of which included Anna Hanbury, mother of Sir Thomas Buxton, 1st Baronet, Luke Howard, pharmacist and meteorologist, Edward Harris, father-in-law of Alfred Tylor, and Samuel Gurney, banker.

[6] The first prospectus proposed "an Establishment in our religious society on a plan in degree differing from any hitherto adopted, wherein the children of Friends should not only be liberally instructed in the Elements of useful knowledge, but in which particular attention should be paid to the state of mind of each individual child".

[5] In 1827 the varied curriculum available at Newington Academy for Girls was referenced in some doggerel verses by Joseph Pease who commented on the 'astounding variety of stores intellectual imbibed by pupils at the "N[ewington] Nunnery".

As such in 1836 she was among the co-signatories of a warning letter to John Wilkinson who had caused a schism among the local Quaker community and in which he was entreated to be silent in their meetings.

In 1841 Corder published A Brief Outline of the Origin, Principles, and Church Government of the Society of Friends in which she emphasised her commitment to traditional Quaker dress, manners and teachings.