THE LETTERS AND PAPERS OF LADY POWERSCOURT
Chapter Two. 217 pages
ISBN 1 85307 170 6
Theodosia Anne Howard lived at the beginning of the 19th century in rural Co. Wicklow. Saved at 19, she was both an aristocrat and an evangelical. Widowed during her first year of marriage, her daughter is believed to have died in infancy.
The parish in which she lived contained a high concentration of Protestant gentry amongst whom evangelicalism was a growing force. She hosted the Powerscourt Conferences here, where evangelicals met to discuss theological issues. Preoccupation with issues such as eschatology (which many felt were at the expense of evangelism) led to increasing tension among the participants, eventually resulting in separation. Lady Powerscourt aligned herself with the new and emerging Brethren movement.
