Regiment of Women : Mint Editions : 9781513208565 : 151320856X : 23 Sep 2021 : Regiment of Women (1917) is a novel by Winifred Ashton. Written using the pseudonym Clemence Dane, Regiment of Women was Ashton's debut novel and a turning point in her career. Deriving its title from an anti-feminist polemic written by 16th century minister John Knox, Ashton's novel depicts a doomed romance between two intelligent, strong-willed women living in Edwardian England. Recognized as a pioneering work of lesbian literature, Regiment of Women would inspire famed novelist Radclyffe Hall to write her groundbreaking novel The Well of Loneliness (1928). Early on in her days as a teacher at a prestigious private school for girls, Alwynne Durand, a young woman new to the profession, is made aware of the lofty status of Clare Hartill, a popular teacher among the schoolgirls. Primed to take over as headmistress, Hartill has a reputation as a strict instructor who pushes her students to the limit of their a