British schoolmaster Jacob More, 1694-1783, and his wife Mary Grace, 1720-1786, had five daughters: Mary More, 1738-1813; Elizabeth "Betty" More, 1740-1816, Sarah "Sally" More, 1743-1817, Hannah More, 1745-1833, and Martha "Patty" More, 1750-1819. In 1758, Mary More opened a boarding school in Bristol, and as her sisters came of age, they joined the school's faculty. Ann Lovell Gwatkin, 1729-1809, wife of Bristol merchant Edward Gwatkin, 1707-1764, encouraged the More sisters in their work and provided them with financial assistance.

In 1767, Hannah More gave up her share in the school after becoming engaged to William Turner of Somerset, but Turner broke off the engagement in 1773 and induced More to accept a &‌pound;200 annuity as compensation. This income freed her to pursue her literary aspirations, and she went on to publish many plays as well as a number of moral and political tracts. She later engaged in social and philanthropic work, including the abolition of the slave trade and, along with her sister Martha, the establishment of schools in rural areas.

David Garrick, 1717-1779, was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager, and producer. He married Austrian dancer Eva Marie Veigel, 1724-1822, in 1749. In the 1770s, he advised Hannah More on her literary career. Garrick's doctor, William Cadogan, 1711-1797, was a British physician who published works on child care and nursing.

Samuel Peach, 1715-1785, was a Bristol merchant. His daughter, Ellin Hannah Peach, 1745-1767, married Henry Cruger, an American and British merchant who was elected to both the New York State Senate and the House of Commons in Great Britain. Edmund Burke, 1729-1797, an ally of Henry Cruger, was a British philosopher and politician who served in the House of Commons. In 1774, he set up his headquarters next to the More school on Park Street and became friends with the sisters.