{"product_id":"9780008559618-retail-the-walnut-tree-women-violence-and-the-law-a-hidden-history","title":"The Walnut Tree: Women, Violence and the Law - A Hidden History","description":"A Waterstones Best History Book 2024 'Compulsively readable' -  Times Literary Supplement 'An outstanding work'  - Philippa Gregory 'A powerful narrative told with frankness and sensitivity'  - Helen Fry, historian and author of  Women In Intelligence   'A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more they are beaten, the better they'll be.' So went the proverb quoted by a prominent MP in the Houses of Parliament in 1853. His words - intended ironically in a debate about a rise in attacks on women - summed up the prevailing attitude of the day, in which violence against women was waved away as a part and parcel of modern living - a chilling seam of misogyny that had polluted both parliament and the law. But were things about to change? In this vivid and essential work of historical non-fiction, 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. We hear of the uniquely abusive marriage which culminated in the dramatic story of the 'Clitheroe wife abduction'; 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 'Camden Town Murder'. Exploring the 19th- and early 20th Century legal history that influenced the modern-day stances on issues such as domestic abuse, sexual violence and divorce,  The Walnut Tree lifts the lid on the shocking history of women under British law - and what it means for women today.","brand":"Book Grocer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48810568024283,"sku":"9780008559618-RETAIL","price":21.24,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/ee09ead6-73ad-4e9b-b3fa-7e45f4a91876.jpg?v=1779805348","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/9780008559618-retail-the-walnut-tree-women-violence-and-the-law-a-hidden-history","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}