Amanda and Lizzie are joined by the Head of Community and Events at the Providence Row Charity, Maria O’Donoghue and journalist and scholar Professor Lesa Scholl. They explore Procter’s activism, her early involvement in Providence Row night refuge for women and children, and her publication, A Chaplet of Verses (1862), which she wrote to raise both awareness and funds for the refuge. With Maria, they learn about the history and ongoing work of Providence Row in supporting those affected by homelessness in the East End of London. With Lesa, they then discuss the challenge offered in Procter’s poem, ‘The Cradle Song of the Poor’ and reflect on the doctrine of giving that is expressed in ‘Give’. 

For further detail about Procter’s activism and faith, the hosts recommend Lesa Scholl’s book, Hunger, Poetry, and the Oxford Movement: The Tractarian Social Vision (Bloomsbury 2020).