1 Samuel 1.20-28, John 19.25-27
Mothering Sunday, 15 March 2026, Austwick
On Mothering Sunday let us celebrate the life and work of Mary Sumner, the founder of the Mothers’ Union. [2]
Born in 1828, Mary was the daughter of Thomas Haywood, who with his brothers was a partner in the family business, Haywood’s, the Manchester Bank, and a keen antiquarian, founder of The Chetham Society, one of Britain’s earliest-established antiquarian and historical societies. [3]
Like so many businesses of the era, the Haywoods profited from their involvement in the slave trade, but Mary married into the family of the leading slave trade abolitionist William Wilberforce. It was whilst she was travelling in Rome with her mother and sister to complete her musical education, that Mary met her future husband George Sumner. George was an Anglican cleric, who in 1851 received the living of Old Alresford, Hampshire. There, besides raising her three children, Mary also provided music classes and Bible classes for the parishioners. [4]
Then, in 1876, Mary formed a group to support mothers from all backgrounds in bringing up their children. Delivering a speech in 1885 to the Portsmouth Church Congress, she inspired many women present to go back to their parishes and set up similar groups.
Mary wanted to create an organisation for women which brought together rich and poor to build a network supporting mothers as they brought up their children in the Christian faith. In her Portsmouth speech Mary Sumner said, ‘Those that rock the cradle rule the world’. She was quoting the William Ross Wallace poem The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is the Hand that Rules the World. These were radical, provocative words then, as they still are today. Mary’s speech was a rallying cry to raise the value of motherhood and for it to be considered as important, if not more so, as the roles of men. [5]
Over time, the groups that met as Mothers’ Union became embedded in their communities, forging strong links with local people and the Anglican Church. They worked to support one another and give a voice to disadvantaged women while addressing wider issues in society. Driven by Mary Sumner’s passion for the role of women in bringing about a better society, the groups proved very popular.
By 1892, membership had reached 60,000 in 28 dioceses, which was to grow to 169,000 members by the turn of the century. By 1909 The Mothers’ Union had become Britain’s largest voluntary organisation for women, and had also opened many branches overseas.
‘Supporting mothers’ meant The Mothers’ Union campaigning for issues, over the years, such as raising the minimum legal age for marriage, lobbying for post-war houses to include gas and electric appliances and dining kitchens, changing the law to allow Family Allowance to be paid directly to mothers as opposed to men, raising the Widows Allowance earnings limit, and allowing flexible working arrangements for all parents.
The Mothers’ Union has also been involved in international movements for justice for the world’s poorest, such as Make Poverty History and the Jubilee Debt Campaign.
Today The Mothers’ Union describes itself a “a diverse and inclusive community present in approximately 84 countries around the world, working together for a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Our members are not all mothers, or even all women – they are female and male, single and married, parents and grandparents, young adults expressing social conscience and older adults volunteering in their local community. Mothers’ Union provides a network through which they can serve Christ in their community, through prayer, financial support, and actively working in programmes and projects that meet local needs.” [6]
In rural Rwanda, teenage mothers face heartbreaking challenges. Poverty, hardship and violence in the home can drive girls to seek comfort from unsafe places before they fully understand the risks. Some become pregnant through coercion or abuse. And when that happens, too often their families turn them away, leaving them isolated, stigmatised, and struggling to survive. The Mothers’ Union is helping families in Rwanda to support their daughters to find new confidence and purpose through faith and fellowship.
One of these daughters is a young woman we’ll call Grace. When Grace became pregnant at 15, her parents rejected her. She had to leave home and school, with no income, no health insurance, and nowhere to go. For months she lived in fear, trying to care for her baby alone. Then she met a woman from a Mothers’ Union ‘Umuryango’ (or ‘Family’) group. This woman prayed with her, helped her find shelter, and welcomed her into their local ‘Umuryango’ support programme. Through that connection, Grace received guidance, faith-based counselling, and practical help.
Thanks to the business skills she’s learned and the support she’s received, Grace now feeds and clothes her child, and she helps other young mothers in a similar position. Now reconciled with her parents, her younger sister sees Grace as a strong role model. [7]
Meanwhile here in the UK the Mothers’ Union continues its work by providing holidays for low-income families; running programmes to raise awareness of domestic abuse and to support survivors; campaigning around modern slavery; supporting womn in neonatal care; and helping families to keep in contact with a loved one in prison, among many other things.
It has been a long journey from the desk of a dusty old Victorian vicarage to a Rwandan ‘Umuryango’ group. Mary Summer’s legacy is very much alive 150 years after she began this work.
The work of mothering is never over: and it’s something which – regardless of our gender, marital or any other status – we can all give thanks for, support, and embody.
Notes
[1] See also my Dressed for action: Mary Sumner. Whitegate, Little Budworth, 2013
[1] Wikipedia: Mary Sumner
[2] Wikipedia: Thomas Heywood
[4] Wikipedia: George Henry Sumner
[5] Mandy Bayton, Child-free by choice: Why it can be something to celebrate. Christian Today, 24 September, 2018.
[6] The Mothers’ Union: Our History / Our Vision and Mission.
[7] The Mothers’ Union: Make a Mother’s Day 2006: Grace’s Story.
