A history of infanticide in Britain, c. 1600 to the present / monograph

This work provides a detailed history of infanticide in mainland Britain from 1600 to the modern era for the very first time. It examines continuity and change in the nature and characteristics of new-born child murder in Scotland, England and Wales over a chronology of more than four centuries. Alongside offering a comparative analysis of the types of individuals suspected of the offence, and a detailed appreciation of the different ways in which the crime was carried out, the work also exposes the broad nexus of causal factors which underpinned its enactment. In addition, the work investigates the evolving attitude in social, medical and legal contexts to the killing of young infants in Britain over a substantive time period. Thus the work as a whole is both compelling and innovative as it provides the reader with much more than a mere history of infanticide. The book also contributes much to our understanding of criminal history, gender history, legal history, medical history and social history in its analyses of the different contexts allied to the offence. It does this also through its exploration of the complex characteristics of accusers, commentators and perpetrators across cultures, borders and time.-- Provided by Publisher Front Matter....Pages i-x Investigating Infanticide — An Enduring Phenomenon....Pages 1-22 The Archetype of Infanticide in the Early Modern Period....Pages 23-50 Murderous Mothers and the Extended Network of Shame....Pages 51-76 Monsters of Inhumanity? Methods of Infant Disposal....Pages 77-110 The Pendulum of Opinion: Changing Attitudes to Infanticide....Pages 111-150 Explaining Infanticide: Motives for Murder....Pages 151-182 The Modern Debate: Getting Away With Murder?....Pages 183-217 Back Matter....Pages 218-338 The killing of new-born children is an intensely emotional and emotive subject. The hidden nature of this crime has made it an area incredibly difficult subject area for historians to approach up until now. This work provides the first detailed history of infanticide in mainland Britain from 1600 to the modern era.