Marian Rebecca Hughes (14 January 1817 – 7 May 1912) was the first woman to take religious vows in the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church since the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. She was mother superior of the

Society of the Holy and Undivided Trinity The Society of the Holy and Undivided Trinity was an Anglican religious order for women in England. It was notable for having been founded by Marian Hughes, the first woman to take religious vows in the Church of England since the English Reforma ...

, which she founded in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. She also founded schools in Oxford for girls and boys.

Life

Hughes was born in the Oxfordshire village of

Shenington Shenington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Shenington with Alkerton, in the Cherwell District, Cherwell district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is about west of Banbury, it was an Enclave and exclave, exc ...

on 14 January 1817. Her parents were Martha Pyne and the Reverend Robert Edward Hughes. Her father was the rector of Shenington. She had a brother and sister and her cousin was Thomas Chamberlain who became vicar of

St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford St Thomas the Martyr Church is a Church of England parish church of the Anglo-Catholicism, Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. It is located between Becket Street to the west and Hollybush Row to ...

. She became the first woman to take religious vows in the Anglican church when she privately made them in 1841 to

Edward Bouverie Pusey Edward Bouverie Pusey (; 22 August 180016 September 1882) was an English Anglican cleric, for more than fifty years Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. He was one of the leading figures in the Oxford Movement, with interest ...

at the home of Ann and Charles Seager. She then took communion with

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

. Newman and Pusey were both fellows at

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...

and leaders in the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...

. After Hughes took her vows she went abroad to visit different

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

convents with Charles and Ann Seager. She was helped by who was the Canon of

Bayeux Cathedral Bayeux Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux (French language, French: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux''), is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France. A Monument histori ...

and Archdeacon of Caen. He directed 15 convents and he arranged for Hughes to ask questions of Ursuline nuns at Bayeux. She later went to the Convent of the Visitation at

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

where she, and later Pusey, were intrigued by the Rule of

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

. In 1846 she was creating embroidered altar cloths which were used by Pusey at his home. These are extant and are at

Pusey House Pusey House () is an Anglican religious institution and charitable incorporated organisation located on St Giles', Oxford, United Kingdom, immediately to the south of Pusey Street. It is firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic Book of Common Praye ...

. She was the mother superior in Oxford from 1851. In 1866 work started on a purpose-built convent on land bought from St John's College and the building was paid for by Hughes. It was designed by local architect

Charles Buckeridge Charles Buckeridge (''circa'' 1832–1873) was a British Gothic Revival architect who trained as a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott. He practised in Oxford 1856–1868 and in London from 1869. He was made an Associate of the Royal Institute ...

and it was complete by 1868. The convent staffed organised several schools for girls and later another for boys.

Death and legacy

Postcard of the Convent she started She died in 1912 at the convent in prayer. She and her nuns were buried in a special area reserved for the Society of the Holy and Undivided Trinity at

St Sepulchre's Cemetery __NOTOC__ St Sepulchre's Cemetery is a historic cemetery located on Walton Street, Oxford, Walton Street, Jericho, Oxford, Jericho, central Oxford, England. The cemetery was opened in 1848 as a cemetery for the Oxford parishes of St Giles, St ...

in Oxford. In 1933, ''Marian Rebecca Hughes: Mother Foundress of the Society of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Oxford'' was published. Her convent was operating until just after the second world war in 1946.

St Peter's, Eastern Hill St Peter's Church, Eastern Hill, is an Australian Anglican church located on the corner of Albert and Gisborne Streets, East Melbourne, Victoria. Part of the Diocese of Melbourne, the administration of the parish dates from 1847 when letters p ...

, which is an Anglo-catholic church in Melbourne, has a stained glass window that features aspects of the Catholic revival up to the early 20th century. One of three panels shows Hughes giving her vows to Pusey. In 2021 some of the textiles that she had embroidered were included in a ''Threads of Devotion'' exhibition. One was still in use at Pusey House chapel after 175 years. One of the items displayed was a doll dressed in a miniature outfit as worn by her nuns. This doll was created by Hughes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Marian 1817 births 1912 deaths 19th-century British Anglican nuns Founders of English schools and colleges People from Oxfordshire British embroiderers