Elizabeth Heyrick (1769 - 1831)
Elizabeth was born into a Unitarian family in Leicester. At 18 she married a Methodist lawyer, but was widowed eight years later. She returned home, gave up all worldly pleasures and devoted herself to social reform, becoming a member of the Society of Friends. Her main concern was the campaign against slavery.
Elizabeth was a key figure in the formation of the Female Anti-Slavery Societies, and was the leader of the Leicester Society, where she organized a sugar boycott. In 1824 she published a pamphlet entitled