{"product_id":"9780008559601","title":"The Walnut Tree: Women, Violence and the Law – A Hidden History","description":"\u003ch2\u003eA Waterstones Best History Book 2024\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Compulsively readable' – \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'An outstanding work'\u003cstrong\u003e – Philippa Gregory\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A powerful narrative told with frankness and sensitivity' \u003cstrong\u003e– Helen Fry, historian and author of \u003cem\u003eWomen In Intelligence\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\n          \u003cem\u003e'A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more they are beaten, the better they’ll be.'\u003c\/em\u003e\n        \u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo 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?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe 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’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExploring the 19th- and early 20th Century legal history that influenced the modern-day stances on issues such as domestic abuse, sexual violence and divorce, \u003cem\u003eThe Walnut Tree\u003c\/em\u003elifts the lid on the shocking history of women under British law – and what it means for women today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKate Morgan's The Walnut Tree is a compelling non-fiction that explores the feminist struggle against the backdrop of a society steeped in misogyny. It is a deep dive into the social fabric of the time, highlighting the untold stories of women who became the pillars of change in the British legal system.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Dominic Sandbrook (Who Dares Wins), Sam Kean (The Disappearing Spoon...and other true tales from the Periodic Table), Tom Holland (The Rest is History), Robert A. Jensen (Personal Effects), and Elise Loehnen (On Our Best Behaviour).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHarperCollins 2024\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kate Morgan, Read by Kristin Atherton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889007120533,"sku":"9780008559601","price":41.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780008559601_f5907119-be89-4d48-9b0d-9a08b6970f60.jpg?v=1776888238","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008559601","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}