Which English feminist part of the intellectual circle with Judith Drake in the 17th century was known as "the first English feminist"?
Judith Drake Judith Drake (fl. 1670s–1723) was an English intellectual and author who was active in the last decade of the 17th century. She was part of a circle of intellectuals, authors, and philosophers which included Mary Astell, Lady Mary Chudleigh, Elizabeth Thomas, Elizabeth Elstob, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and John Norris. She was married to James Drake F.R.S., physician and Tory pamphleteer. She is remembered in the field of feminist literature for her 1696 essay, "An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex".
Anne Knight Anne Knight (2 November 1786 – 4 November 1862) was a social reformer, abolitionist and a pioneer of feminism. She was at the 1840 Anti-Slavery convention where the need to improve women's rights became obvious. In 1847 Knight produced what is considered the first leaflet for women's suffrage. She formed the first UK women's suffrage organisation in Sheffield in 1851.