Great Scandals of the Victorians : Disreputable Stories from the Royal Court to the Stage

Great Scandals of the Victorians features a collection of true stories that shocked, outraged,angered or simply amused the Victorians in nineteenth-century Britain. Drawing on a widevariety of original material, seven disreputable stories that dominated the national newspapersfor many weeks are explored, including the Great Warwickshire Scandal, a highly publicizeddivorce case where for the first time in history a Prince of Wales was called to give evidencein court; a 'baby' scandal that disrupted Queen Victoria's court and threatened the monarchy;the sex scandals of the Abode of Love, a mysterious religious cult founded by a defrockedclergyman, Henry James Prince and the sensational trial of Fanny and Stella, two outrageouscross-dressers accused of sodomy.Some scandals, though traumatic for the people involved, produced a positive outcome, suchas the scandalous custody battle between Caroline Norton and her husband, which led to thepassing of the Custody of Infants Act, granting mothers custody of their chil

dren following adivorce, and the case of 13-year-old Eliza Armstrong, sold to a brothel keeper for £5, whichcaused a major scandal and public outrage, but also led to a change in the law, raising the ageof consent from 13 to 16 years. [Publisher's text].

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