Kate Morgan, "The Walnut Tree: Women, Violence and the Law A Hidden History" (Mudlark, 2024)
'A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more they are beaten, the better they\u2019ll be.' So went the proverb quoted by a prominent MP in the Houses of Parliament in 1853. His words \u2013 intended ironically in a debate about a rise in attacks on women \u2013 summed up the prevailing attitude of the day, in which violence against women was waved away as a part and parcel of modern living \u2013 a chilling seam of misogyny that had polluted both parliament and the law. But were things about to change?\nThe Walnut Tree: Women, Violence and the Law \u2013 A Hidden History\xa0(Mudlark, 2024) is a vivid and essential work of historical non-fiction. In it, Kate Morgan explores the legal campaigns, test cases and individual injustices of the Victorian and Edwardian eras which fundamentally re-shaped the status of women under British law. These are seen through the untold stories of women whose cases became cornerstones of our modern legal system and shine a light on the historical inequalities of the law.\nWe hear of the uniquely abusive marriage which culminated in the dramatic story of the \u2018Clitheroe wife abduction\u2019; of the domestic tragedies which changed the law on domestic violence; the controversies surrounding the Contagious Diseases Act and the women who campaigned to abolish it; and the real courtroom stories behind notorious murder cases such as the \u2018Camden Town Murder\u2019.\nExploring the 19th- and early 20th Century legal history that influenced the modern-day stances on issues such as domestic abuse, sexual violence and divorce,\xa0The Walnut Tree\xa0lifts the lid on the shocking history of women under British law \u2013 and what it means for women today.\n\nThis interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose\xa0new book\xa0focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law