Clapham sect

Early 19th-century evangelical group within the Church of England which advocated paternalist reforms for the underprivileged. Based on Rev. John Venn's church in Clapham between 1792 and 1830, the group consisted largely of liberal-minded wealthy families and had a profound influence on many of the most prominent social reformers of the time, including William Wilberforce and the Earl of Shaftesbury.