A "Torrent Of Abuse": Crimes Of Violence Between Working-Class Men And Women In London, 1840-1875

Journal of Social History

Volumn 11, Issue 3, 1978, Pages 328-345

  Tomes, Nancy ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA   (United States)

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EID: 84959800567     PISSN: 00224529     EISSN: 15271897     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1353/jsh/11.3.328     Document Type: Article

References (99)

1. Joan Scott and Louise Tilly, “Women’s Work and the Family in Nineteenth Century Europe.” in The Family in History. ed., Charles E. Rosenberg (Philadelphia, 1975), 148-178;.
2. Laura Oren, “The Welfare of Women in Laboring Families,” in Clio’s Consciousness Raised, eds., Mary Hartman and Lois Banner (New York, 1974), 226-244;.
3. Peter Stearns, “Working-Class Women in Britain, 1890-1914,” in Suffer and Be Still, ed., Martha Vicinus (Bloomington, 1972), 100-120.
4. Scott and Tilly, “Women’s Work,” 161.
5. As in any study based only on London sources, I must acknowledge at the outset that its conclusions cannot be easily generalized for the whole of the English working class. The people who appear in the trial accounts were casual laborers and artisans and their wives, not factory hands. Their experience of the economic and social changes of the 19th century was shaped by London’s peculiar economic role as a port, a center of outwork industries, and a great population center, rather than as a great manufacturing center. Considering the size of its working-class population, I would argue that their experience is as typical, if not more so, than that of the textile workers and miners who are usually studied as the prototype of the English working-class.
6. Scott and Tilly, “Women’s Work,” 161.
7. V. A. C. Gatrell and T. B. Hadden, “Criminal Statistics and Their Interpretation,” in Nineteenth Century Society, ed., Edward A. Wrigley, (Cambridge, 1972), 396. According to Gatrell and Hadden, women committed only one-fourth as many serious crimes as did men, and only one-tenth of those serious crimes involved violence Ubid., 393-196). Statistics on the sex of assault victims are taken from Great Britain, British Sessional Papers (Commons), ed., Edgar L. Erickson, 1875. LXI, “Reports to the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the State of the Law Relating to Brutal Assaults…,” 29-201.
8. Henry C. Black, Black’s Dictionary of Law, 4th ed. (St. Paul, 1951), 148. To figure the ratio of aggravated assaults on women to other serious crimes, I used the statistics in the Police Returns and the more specialized returns for assaults on women from the London police courts: Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 1854. LIII. 659-681; 1856. L.1-5; 1857 (Session 1). XIV. 145-148; 1857-1858. XLVII. 355-358; 1857-1858. LVII. 391; 1860. LVII. 305-310; 1861. LX. 542; 1865. XLV. 255-256; 1866. LXVIII. 546; 1871. LXIV. 66; 1875. LXI. 29-201; 1876. LXXIX. 78: 1882. VI. 755-756; 1890. LIX. 1.
9. These estimates were computed by using the statistics in the R. Price-Williams essay, “The Population of London, 1801-1881,” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 48 (1885), 349-432, and the parliamentary papers cited in footnote six.
10. Gatrell and Hadden, “Criminal Statistics.” 374. The decline in violent crimes that they document is clearly evident in the returns from the London police courts (see sources cited in footnote six).
11. Assaults and murders will not be considered separately in this analysis. In all but three cases. murder was the unexpected outcome of a severe beating. Since they were rarely premeditated crimes, working-class murders do not differ significantly from assault cases except in the severity of their outcome.
12. Times (London), 21 February 1850, 8 (Higgins) - the same case is reported again 8 March 1850, 7;.
13. Times. 25 October 1870, 11 (Gill);.
14. Times, 27 January 1860, 12 (Bushby);.
15. Times, 19 October 1870, 9 (Gayford);.
16. Times, 2 October 1870, 11 (Bass). The name of the defendant is given in parenthesis, in order to facilitate identification of the case cited. All cases appear under the headings of “Police” or “Central Criminal Court” in the Times.
17. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers. 1881. XII, “Report from the Select Committee of the House of Lords Appointed to consider the Stolen Goods Bill,” 129;.
18. 7 (Brick);.
19. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, Minutes of Evidence, October, 1874, 442-443 (Bishop).
20. Times. 26 February 1850, 8 (Boys);.
21. Times, 16 January 1860, 11 (Cantlin). A similar case can be found in Times, 1 November 1845, 8 (Mackie).
22. Times. 21 February 1850, 11 (Higgins);.
23. Times, 16 January 1860, 11 (Cantlin);.
24. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, October, 1874, 442-442 (Bishop).
25. Times. 16 January 1860, 11 (Cantlin);.
26. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, October, 1874, 467-469 (Black).
27. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, October, 1841, 532 (Bradford).
28. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, June, 1864, 126-127 (Broom).
29. Times. 30 January 1860, 9 (Travers and Regan).
30. The phrase “addicted to drinking and quarreling” is taken from Times, 26 February 1850, 7 (Boys);.
31. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 1877. XI, “Second Report from the Select Committee of the House of Lords Appointed for the Purpose of Inquiring into the Prevalence of Habits of Intemperance …” 615;.
32. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, October, 1874, 467-469 (Black);.
33. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers June, 1864, 136-137 (Haynes).
34. Times. 18 August 1853, 10 (Gevaux);.
35. Times, 2 October 1870, 11 (Bass).
36. Times. 10 April 1850, 7 (Lovey);.
37. Times, 25 October 1870, 11 (Gill);.
38. Times, 28 October 1870, 9 (Droz). Another similar case is reported Times, 6 January 1841, 7 (Blackwell).
39. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 1854. LIII, “Returns of charges against Male Persons at Each of the Metropolitan Police Courts, 1850-1854,” 659-681;.
40. British Sessional Papers, 1875. LXI, “Reports to the Secretary of State …,” 141;.
41. Cox, Principles of Punishment. 103. For other examples, see Times, 11 November 1845, 8 (Leyden);.
42. Times, 5 November 1855, 9 (Collins);.
43. Times, 20 January 1864, 11 (Hughes).
44. Statistics are from the Lambeth Police Court Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 1854. LIll, “Returns of charges…,” 665;.
45. British Sessional Papers, 1875. LXI, “Reports to the Secretary of State …,” 141.
46. Times. 10 November 1870, 9 (Keazer);.
47. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers. June, 1864, 136-139 (Haynes);.
48. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, August, 1841, 526 (Bradford);.
49. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, October, 1874, 442-443 (Bishop): Times, 27 January 1860, 12 (Bushby): Times, 25 October 1870, 11 (Gill).
50. For example, see Times. 9 February 1850, 7 (Lambarthe);.
51. Times, 14 February 1850. 7 (Leggett): Times. 7 October 1870, 9 (Aigstroff);.
52. Times, 7 October 1870, 9 (Halifax);.
53. Times, 30 January 1860, 9 (Hutchinson).
54. Times. 4 March 1845, 7 (Dorgan);.
55. Times, 7 October 1870, 9 (Aigstroff);.
56. Times, 25 February 1850, 7 (Kiel).
57. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, May, 1864, 43-44 (Maloney).
58. Times, 20 March 1845, 8 (Purcell);.
59. Times. 18 August 1853, 10 (Walsh).
60. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers. August, 1841, 526-532 (Bradford).
61. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, October, 1874, 442-443 (Bishop);.
62. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, June, 1864, 136-137 (Haynes).
63. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers. June, 1864, 136-137 (Haynes);.
64. Times, 2 October 1870, 11 (Bass). See another example in Times, 29 August 1850, 97 (Webb).
65. Thomas A. Critchley, A History of Police in England and Wales, 900-1966. 52, 145;.
66. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, August, 1841, 526-532 (Bradford).
67. Times, 4 March 1845, 7 (Dorgan);.
68. Times, 14 February 1850, 7 (Leggett). See other examples, Times, 31 October 1870, 11 (Holmes);.
69. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, MaY, 1864, 4344 (Maloney);.
70. Times, 1 January 1864, 9 (Hall).
71. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, June, 1855, 206 (Harrison).
72. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 1854. LIII, “Returns of Charges …,” 680.
73. Great Britain. British Sessional Papers, 7 January 1860, 11 (potter);.
74. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 12 January 1860, 11 (Lucas);.
75. Cecil Chapman. Poor Man’s Court of Justice (London, n.d.), 58.
76. This definition of normal violence is taken from Richard Gelles, The Violent Home (Beverly Hills, 1972), 58-73.
77. See Gelles, Violent Home, 130-131;.
78. Suzanne Steinmetz and Murray Straus, Violence in the Family (New York, 1974), 75; the term compulsive masculinity is defined on page 58. See also Susan Brownmiller, Against Our Will (New York, 1975), 189-229.
79. Marjorie Jones, Justice and Journalism (London, 1974), 10;.
80. James Stephen, A History of Criminal Law of England (New York, 1883), 76;.
81. Chapman, Poor Man’s Court, 20.
82. Cox, Principles of Punishment, viii, 99, 101.
83. Cox, Principles of Punishment, viii, 99, 101.
84. Times. 19 August 1853, 5; see another example, Times, 13 January 1864, 11 (Allen).
85. TImes. 19 February 1850, 8 (Leary);.
86. Times, 18 August 1853, 10 (Walsh);.
87. Times. 4 October 1870, 11 (Rurnfitt).
88. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers, 1854. LIB, “Returns of Charges …” 680-681.
89. Tobias, Crime and Industrial Society, 227-228;.
90. Great Britain, British Sessional Papers. 1882. VI, “A Bill for the Better Protection of Women and Children …,” 775-776.
91. Times, 25 October 1870, 11 (Gill);.
92. Times, 25 September 1860, 9 (Camp);.
93. Oliver R. McGregor, Divorce in England, (London, 1957), 22-23.
94. Peter Steams makes this point in his article, “Working-Class Women in Britain, 1890-1914,” 113, 119-120.
95. Central Criminal Court, Sessions Papers, September, 1874, 338-339 (Hurst);.
96. Times, 4 March 1845, 7 (Dorgan);.
97. Robert Roberts, The Classic Slum (Manchester, 1971). 3-11, for a complementary description of working-class respectability and how it operated in early 20th century Salford.
98. Gelles, The Violent Home, 108-109;.
99. Steinmetz and Straus, Violence in the Family, 7-8.