Criminal Women, 1850–1920 : Researching the Lives of Britain's Female Offenders

"The fascinating lives of the women who hit hard times . . . investigat[es] the stories behind the faces in the incredible images." — Al Bawaba Women are among the hardest individuals to trace through the historical record and this is especially true of female offenders who had a vested interest in not wanting to be found. That is why this thought-provoking and accessible handbook by Lucy Williams and Barry Godfrey is of such value. It looks beyond the crimes and the newspaper reports of women criminals in the Victorian era in order to reveal the reality of their personal and penal journeys, and it provides a guide for researchers who are keen to explore this intriguing and neglected subject. The book is split into three sections. There is an introduction outlining the historical context for the study of female crime and punishment, then a series of real-life case studies which show in a vivid way the complexity of female offenders' lives and follows them through the penal system. The third section is a detailed guide to archival and online sources that readers can consult in order to explore the life-histories of criminal women. The result is a rare combination of academic guide and how-to-do-it manual. It introduces readers to the latest research in the field and it gives them all the information they need to carry out their own research. "The core of the book consists of some 30 case studies of women who went through the system, their offences (from drunkenness and petty theft to murder) and their punishments (from fines or prison to transportation or execution)." —Police History Society Cover Book Title Copyright CONTENTS PART 1 -- BACKGROUND Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Women and Crime Chapter 3: Women and Punishment Chapter 4: Women in the Prison System Chapter 5: Women and Post-Release Supervision PART 2 -- CASE STUDIES OF CRIMINAL WOMEN Chapter 6: Amelia Sach Chapter 7: Violet Watson Chapter 8: Ann Griffith Chapter 9: Ann Nicholls Chapter 10: Eleanor Boniface alias Ann Knight Chapter 11: Mary Ann Gannon Chapter 12: Eliza Conner and Mary Leonard Chapter 13: Ellen Dwyer and Lottie Child Chapter 14: Emily Swann Chapter 15: Elizabeth Dillon. Chapter 16: Eva BebbingtonChapter 17: Julia Smith and Frances Murphy Chapter 18: Maria Allen and Maria Adams Chapter 19: Mary Ann Parr Chapter 20: Mary Hardyman Chapter 21: Elizabeth Dyer Chapter 22: Mary Vickers alias 'Slasher' Chapter 23: Sarah Chiswell Chapter 24: Sarah Jane Day Chapter 25: Sarah Tuff alias Sarah Poole Chapter 26: Susannah Wells alias Watson Chapter 27: Amelia Layton Chapter 28: Ann Plowman Chapter 29: Elizabeth Coppin Chapter 30: Ellen Risden Chapter 31: Maria Dibsdale Chapter 32: Mary Fitzpatrick Chapter 33: Arabella Matilda Hopton. Chapter 34: Sarah DaviesChapter 35: Jane Foster PART 3 -- HOW TO RESEARCH Chapter 36: Women's Crimes Chapter 37: How to Research: Women and the 'Experience' of Imprisonment Chapter 38: How to Research: Women Convicts and Post-Sentence Supervision Chapter 39: How to Research: Criminal Women at Home Chapter 40: Conclusion Further Reading Index Back Cover. "Women are among the hardest individuals to trace through the historical record and this is especially true of female offenders who had a vested interest in not wanting to be found. That is why this thought-provoking and accessible handbook by Lucy Williams and Barry Godfrey is of such value. It looks beyond the crimes and the newspaper reports of women criminals in the Victorian era in order to reveal the reality of their personal and penal journeys, and it provides a guide for researchers who are keen to explore this intriguing and neglected subject. The book is split into three sections. There is an introduction outlining the historical context for the study of female crime and punishment, then a series of real-life case studies which show in a vivid way the complexity of female offenders' lives and follows them through the penal system. The third section is a detailed guide to archival and online sources that readers can consult in order to explore the life-histories of criminal women. The result is a rare combination of academic guide and how-to-do-it manual. It introduces readers to the latest research in the field and it gives them all the information they need to carry out their own research"--Publisher's description Cover; Book Title; Copyright; CONTENTS; PART 1 -- BACKGROUND; Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Women and Crime; Chapter 3: Women and Punishment; Chapter 4: Women in the Prison System; Chapter 5: Women and Post-Release Supervision; PART 2 -- CASE STUDIES OF CRIMINAL WOMEN; Chapter 6: Amelia Sach; Chapter 7: Violet Watson; Chapter 8: Ann Griffith; Chapter 9: Ann Nicholls; Chapter 10: Eleanor Boniface alias Ann Knight; Chapter 11: Mary Ann Gannon; Chapter 12: Eliza Conner and Mary Leonard; Chapter 13: Ellen Dwyer and Lottie Child; Chapter 14: Emily Swann; Chapter 15: Elizabeth Dillon.;Women are among the hardest individuals to trace through the historical record and this is especially true of female offenders who had a vested interest in not wanting to be found. That is why this thought-provoking and accessible handbook by Lucy Williams and Barry Godfrey is of such value. It looks beyond the crimes and the newspaper reports of women criminals in the Victorian era in order to reveal the reality of their personal and penal journeys, and it provides a guide for researchers who are keen to explore this intriguing and neglected subject. About the Author: Professor Barry Godfrey is Professor of Social Justice at the University of Liverpool and Honorary Professor of Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, China. Among his many publications are _Crime, Wartime and Control: Protecting the Population of a Blitzed City, 1939-1945_ (with P. Adey and David Cox), _Victorian Convicts: 100 Criminal Lives_ (with Helen Johnston and David Cox) and _Crime and Justice Since 1750_ (with Paul Lawrence). REFERENCE / Genealogy & Heraldry