Dervorgilla of Galloway was a thirteenth century noblewoman of a prestigious lineage. Her Scottish relatives were major landowners in the South of Scotland. Her mother was the daughter of Matilda and David, Prince of Scotland; she was niece to Robert…
Category: Blog
The Women’s History Network blog
Women’s Work, Yesterday and Today, part three.
This is the final part of my interview with the University of Warwick’s knowledge portal, promoting the WHN conference, ‘Performing the self: women’s lives in historical perspective’. You can also read parts one and two. What do you think are the key factors…
Women’s Work, Yesterday and Today, part two.
This is part two of my interview promoting the WHN conference, ‘Performing the Self: Women’s Lives in Historical Perspective’. You can read part one here. What, if any, are the common misconceptions about women and work in history (I realise this…
Women’s Work, Yesterday and Today, part one.
A few weeks ago, I was interviewed for the University of Warwick knowledge portal about the Women’s History Networks forthcoming conference, ‘Performing the Self: Women’s Lives in Historical Perspective’. You can read the outcome of the interview here, but I…
Still Makes My Blood Boil…
On June 4th 1913, it was derby day at Epsom racecourse. Suffragette, Emily Wilding Davison, ducked beneath the railings and onto the race track, just as King George’s horse Anmer approached Tattenham corner. She rushed towards the horse and was…
Married Women’s Property and Divorce in the 19th Century
In 1882, after a series of earlier reforms, the Married Women’s Property Act passed for England, Wales and Ireland, while Scotland had a less extensive Act in 1880 and another in 1881. The Act restored to married women the right…
Nineteenth century humour
Like the modern tabloid, nineteenth century newspapers liked to carry jokes for their readers. And, like the modern tabloid, they often carried misogynist undertones. This selection is from the Anglo-Celt in 1871: A ferocious bachelor defines marriage as a crime…
Bastille Day
The French are celebrating the fall of the Bastille today: a symbol of oppression smashed by the force of the people. It might be worth remembering on this day a few examples of women’s strength exerted in good causes. On 14…
No person may credit…
Before the Married Women’s Property Acts of the nineteenth century, the marriage law in England, Wales and Ireland removed a wife’s right to her own property, putting it under the control of her husband. Yet, the other side of this…