Baroness Burdett-Coutts : A Sketch of her Public Life and Work

Granddaughter of the banker Thomas Coutts, the philanthropist Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts (1814–1906) was one of the most remarkable women of her age, giving away an estimated £4 million of her inheritance to a wide range of causes.

She set an example to others, offering practical support without fuss, and worked with Charles Dickens on schemes to improve the lot of the poverty-stricken.

The Church of England was another beneficiary of her largesse, receiving endowments for bishoprics, churches and school buildings.

The welfare of animals also deeply concerned her, and she was actively involved with the RSPCA.

This anonymously compiled book, endorsed by her great friend Mary of Teck and published in 1893 for the international exposition in Chicago, presents a fascinating summary of her diverse charitable work.

Burdett-Coutts herself edited for the exposition Woman's Mission, a series of papers on female philanthropy, also reissued in this series.