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Great Scandals of the Victorians: Disreputable Stories from the Royal Court to the Stage
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May 16, 2024
Got this for review from netgalley.
It was a very interesting read and sometimes very difficult to read. It was fun to learn thar victorians to was invested in scandals and such that happens and some was very sad. Easy read and understood.
It was a very interesting read and sometimes very difficult to read. It was fun to learn thar victorians to was invested in scandals and such that happens and some was very sad. Easy read and understood.
May 21, 2024
For all that Victorians had a reputation for being straitlaced, they had their fair share of scandals - and some of them ended up having major effects on contemporary society, sometimes even driving forth social changes which still affect us today.
I love a good gossip session about people I've never met, which is why history is one of my favorite subjects. In this book, we learn about seven major scandals that took place during the Victorian era, some which I'd heard of before and others which were unfamiliar to me. I liked that we got in depth with each story, discussing not only the scandal and its participants but also why it played out the way it did due to the broader context of the times.
I also appreciated that the scandals discussed were fairly weighty ones, relating to issues (among others) such as marriage and divorce law, human trafficking, and the treatment of LGBT individuals at the time. However, with just seven stories selected from such a long period of history, I felt like the view we got on Victorian life was rather limited - it would have been nice to have additional stories discussed, even if it was just supplementary material to show how these incidents fell in the broader context of the time.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I love a good gossip session about people I've never met, which is why history is one of my favorite subjects. In this book, we learn about seven major scandals that took place during the Victorian era, some which I'd heard of before and others which were unfamiliar to me. I liked that we got in depth with each story, discussing not only the scandal and its participants but also why it played out the way it did due to the broader context of the times.
I also appreciated that the scandals discussed were fairly weighty ones, relating to issues (among others) such as marriage and divorce law, human trafficking, and the treatment of LGBT individuals at the time. However, with just seven stories selected from such a long period of history, I felt like the view we got on Victorian life was rather limited - it would have been nice to have additional stories discussed, even if it was just supplementary material to show how these incidents fell in the broader context of the time.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
May 26, 2024
Great Scandals Of The Victorians, disreputable stories from the Royal Court to the stage by Debbie Blake is a book that highlights seven scandals that wrought the Victorian era from a man and his cult, an accusation of pregnancy amongst the ladies in waiting, a wronged woman and those who tried to help the most abuse among them only to find their self on trial and much much more. Let me just say there is a part of this book that reads like a Hollywood movie it is at the end of a trial where despite she didn’t win what she stood up and said had her husband getting hissed and jeered out of court and to have such an emotional moment in a nonfiction book that’s not a memoir says a lot about the great stories perfect for this book of scandals in the life of Victorians. I only wish they would’ve had more stories I also wish Miss Blake would’ve covered the scandals I was more familiar with because she really does her due diligence with actual letters newspaper articles giving every scandal a modern day viewpoints something I love in a nonfiction book this is a book I highly recommend an absolutely love and want more of. A lot of these stories ended up doing good but unfortunately those involved had to go through bad moments but it all makes for entertaining storytelling. I want to thank Pen And Sword press for my free arc copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review..
July 13, 2024
1. Lady Flora Hastings was lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent.Lady Flora was party to John Conroy's Kensington System: by which he colluded with the Duchess to keep Victoria isolated from her Hanoverian uncles.In 1839, Lady Flora began to experience pain and swelling in her lower abdomen. She visited the queen's physician, Sir James Clark, who could not diagnose her condition without an examination, which she refused. Clark assumed the abdominal growth was pregnancy.The Queen suspected Conroy, a man whom she loathed intensely, to be the father.The accusations were proven false when Lady Flora finally consented to a physical examination by the royal doctors, who confirmed that she was not pregnant. She did, however, have an advanced cancerous liver tumour, and had only months left to live.Flora died on 5 July but the Queen visited her beforehand.
2.Royal Baccarat Scandal or Tranby Croft affair.A British gambling scandal of the late 19th century involving the future King Edward VII.The scandal started during a house party in September 1890, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards, was accused of cheating at baccarat.He filed a writ for slander in February 1891.The case was heard in June 1891.Edward was called as a witness, the first time the heir to the throne had been compelled to appear in court since 1411.Despite having a good lawyer,Gordon-Cumming lost the case and was dismissed from the British Army and ostracised from society for good.
3.Caroline Sheridan was an active social reformer and author.Unfortunately, she was married to George Norton,who was an abusive husband.He accused her of adultery with Lord Melbourne.Although the jury found her friend not guilty of adultery, she failed to gain a divorce and was denied access to her three sons due to the laws at the time which favoured fathers.Her campaigning led to the passage of the Custody of Infants Act 1839, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 and the Married Women's Property Act 1870.
Other Victorian Era scandals were the Agapemonites sect,cross-dressers Boulton and Park,and child prostitution and white slavery.
2.Royal Baccarat Scandal or Tranby Croft affair.A British gambling scandal of the late 19th century involving the future King Edward VII.The scandal started during a house party in September 1890, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards, was accused of cheating at baccarat.He filed a writ for slander in February 1891.The case was heard in June 1891.Edward was called as a witness, the first time the heir to the throne had been compelled to appear in court since 1411.Despite having a good lawyer,Gordon-Cumming lost the case and was dismissed from the British Army and ostracised from society for good.
3.Caroline Sheridan was an active social reformer and author.Unfortunately, she was married to George Norton,who was an abusive husband.He accused her of adultery with Lord Melbourne.Although the jury found her friend not guilty of adultery, she failed to gain a divorce and was denied access to her three sons due to the laws at the time which favoured fathers.Her campaigning led to the passage of the Custody of Infants Act 1839, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 and the Married Women's Property Act 1870.
Other Victorian Era scandals were the Agapemonites sect,cross-dressers Boulton and Park,and child prostitution and white slavery.
June 9, 2024
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Great Scandals of the Victorians is an interesting and layman accessible guide to some of the more salacious scandals which played out in Victorian England written and collected by Debbie Blake. Released 23rd May 2024 in the UK, and 30th July elsewhere by Pen & Sword it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover formats.
I love the Victorian era in theory. I love the literature, the music, the dress, the civilized aspects. In short, I love the curated sanitised version provided in a modern BBC costume drama and would have in actual fact decried the squalid and desperately short lives of the actual reality of the time (and probably been locked up and/or beaten to death for my troubles). This interesting and wide ranging collection of scandals which were recounted in the broadsheets (newspapers) of the time period range from plainly tragic to almost comedic in scale and effect. People then as now love to read about scandals which don't touch them directly.
The text is annotated and the chapter notes make for interesting further reading. There are numerous illustrations and facsimile documents scattered relevantly throughout which are illuminating.The extensive bibliography invites exploration and will provide useful avenues for further research.
Four and a half stars. It would make a good choice for public or home library acquisition, as well as being a very good resource for writers interested in background research for the period.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Great Scandals of the Victorians is an interesting and layman accessible guide to some of the more salacious scandals which played out in Victorian England written and collected by Debbie Blake. Released 23rd May 2024 in the UK, and 30th July elsewhere by Pen & Sword it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover formats.
I love the Victorian era in theory. I love the literature, the music, the dress, the civilized aspects. In short, I love the curated sanitised version provided in a modern BBC costume drama and would have in actual fact decried the squalid and desperately short lives of the actual reality of the time (and probably been locked up and/or beaten to death for my troubles). This interesting and wide ranging collection of scandals which were recounted in the broadsheets (newspapers) of the time period range from plainly tragic to almost comedic in scale and effect. People then as now love to read about scandals which don't touch them directly.
The text is annotated and the chapter notes make for interesting further reading. There are numerous illustrations and facsimile documents scattered relevantly throughout which are illuminating.The extensive bibliography invites exploration and will provide useful avenues for further research.
Four and a half stars. It would make a good choice for public or home library acquisition, as well as being a very good resource for writers interested in background research for the period.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
June 2, 2024
Victorians are frequently perceived as moralistic and very much above squalid and sordid behaviour. A society where even a glimpse of a piano leg was deemed potentially shocking and they were covered. But scrape away this veneer and all human life with its sordid underbelly is there. Very much a do as I say, not as I do society.
Debbie Blake has gathered together a selection of genuinely interesting cases which hit the press and had readers clamouring for more and wanting every lurid detail. Nothing sells like sex and there’s a fair smattering of cases which caught the imagination. Royalty and the titled, as ever, are not guilt free and a couple of more familiar cases are detailed. I found two cases particularly interesting as I was unaware that each had resulted in a change in legislation. One caused the age of a ‘child’ to be raised to 16; I’d heard of the use of children in brothels, but didn’t realise that there was legislative change. The second case resulted in the introduction of legislation to award mothers custody in divorce cases.
We think that the modern press and reporting is often graphic and detailed, but the Victorian appetite for salacious detail was unsurpassed and I was surprised by the court questions reported at some length in a few cases. It’s definitely true crime stuff! The selection cases gives real insight into a duplicitous society where double standards were a norm. A fascinating slice of social history, thoroughly researched and well written.
There’s a comprehensive bibliography and index and a selection of plates and illustrations, most of which I hadn’t seen before. A truly enjoyable read.
Debbie Blake has gathered together a selection of genuinely interesting cases which hit the press and had readers clamouring for more and wanting every lurid detail. Nothing sells like sex and there’s a fair smattering of cases which caught the imagination. Royalty and the titled, as ever, are not guilt free and a couple of more familiar cases are detailed. I found two cases particularly interesting as I was unaware that each had resulted in a change in legislation. One caused the age of a ‘child’ to be raised to 16; I’d heard of the use of children in brothels, but didn’t realise that there was legislative change. The second case resulted in the introduction of legislation to award mothers custody in divorce cases.
We think that the modern press and reporting is often graphic and detailed, but the Victorian appetite for salacious detail was unsurpassed and I was surprised by the court questions reported at some length in a few cases. It’s definitely true crime stuff! The selection cases gives real insight into a duplicitous society where double standards were a norm. A fascinating slice of social history, thoroughly researched and well written.
There’s a comprehensive bibliography and index and a selection of plates and illustrations, most of which I hadn’t seen before. A truly enjoyable read.
May 21, 2024
Delve into seven true stories that shocked and amused 19th-century Britain. Two cases involve the Prince of Wales. The book also covers cases with positive outcomes, like Caroline Norton's custody battle leading to legal reform and Eliza Armstrong's case raising the age of consent.
I’d heard of a few of these situations from a fictional standpoint before I began reading, like the incident with Lady Flora Hastings and Lord Melbourne’s criminal conversation with Caroline Norton. So those two cases were interesting to get more background and detail of. It was easy to see why each case was so scandalous for the time period.
Mostly, I found each one interesting. The only one that I had trouble with was the final one. The author includes an eyewitness account that describes a sex scene, and I was not expecting such detail. It would make me hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend.
Readers who are interested in Victorian history will no doubt enjoy reading this one. I received an advance copy via NetGalley, and all opinions expressed are my own.
I’d heard of a few of these situations from a fictional standpoint before I began reading, like the incident with Lady Flora Hastings and Lord Melbourne’s criminal conversation with Caroline Norton. So those two cases were interesting to get more background and detail of. It was easy to see why each case was so scandalous for the time period.
Mostly, I found each one interesting. The only one that I had trouble with was the final one. The author includes an eyewitness account that describes a sex scene, and I was not expecting such detail. It would make me hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend.
Readers who are interested in Victorian history will no doubt enjoy reading this one. I received an advance copy via NetGalley, and all opinions expressed are my own.
May 22, 2024
4.75 stars
‘Scandalous stories sold newspapers and people would flock to buy a copy as they rolled off the printing press.’
Anything to do with the Victorian era I MUST read!
From Flora Hastings to the he-she ladies, Great Scandals of the Victorians is a book to delight and shock you!
Personally for me despite absolutely loving this book, I feel it is important to mention that there are some very distressing topics in this book (chapter five) The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon. I found this quite a difficult chapter to read due to many trigger warnings. I had to take a few breaks while reading this particular chapter. It is a chapter that could be missed if you did not feel ok to read it,
‘Whether it involved crime, sex, or royalty, just like many of us today, the Victorians loved a juicy scandal.’
Debbie has also written a book called Victorian Murderesses which is a favourite of mine. An author that I will defiantly read without hesitation.
‘Scandalous stories sold newspapers and people would flock to buy a copy as they rolled off the printing press.’
Anything to do with the Victorian era I MUST read!
From Flora Hastings to the he-she ladies, Great Scandals of the Victorians is a book to delight and shock you!
Personally for me despite absolutely loving this book, I feel it is important to mention that there are some very distressing topics in this book (chapter five) The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon. I found this quite a difficult chapter to read due to many trigger warnings. I had to take a few breaks while reading this particular chapter. It is a chapter that could be missed if you did not feel ok to read it,
‘Whether it involved crime, sex, or royalty, just like many of us today, the Victorians loved a juicy scandal.’
Debbie has also written a book called Victorian Murderesses which is a favourite of mine. An author that I will defiantly read without hesitation.
July 23, 2024
Princess Fuzzypants here: Sometimes books on scandals are intended to titillate but there seems to have been some intent with the selection of the scandals covered in the book. There was a sexual nature to all of them, sometimes blatant and sometime very subtle. They also all delved into some of the societal wrongs that plagued Victorian times. The ones I found myself fuming over were the ones that involved women who were manipulated and abused and yet had absolutely no rights to fight against the wrongs perpetrator upon them. One in particular had a very determined and brave woman whose efforts did not help her own cause but did help future generations of women have some rights.
The stories are written with great detail and much research went into them. They were fascinating. And while Victorian Society held itself to very rigid standards, the stories revealed the dark underbelly that lived cheek by jowl with the self righteous. Four purrs and two paws up.
The stories are written with great detail and much research went into them. They were fascinating. And while Victorian Society held itself to very rigid standards, the stories revealed the dark underbelly that lived cheek by jowl with the self righteous. Four purrs and two paws up.
August 29, 2024
I’ve read several books by this publisher and so far I really enjoy the subjects and content.
The title tells you what you need to know. We learn all about several SCANDALS that involved the royal family and even go into the court cases and public opinion via newspaper articles from the time period.
I found it well researched and each story sucks you in. I knew the royals were morally corrupt but there’s a few stories that surprised me and these took place in the Victorian era.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for the delicate of heart or young impressionable minds. It would however be a great place to hunt for ideas under several different subjects for papers.
This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.
The title tells you what you need to know. We learn all about several SCANDALS that involved the royal family and even go into the court cases and public opinion via newspaper articles from the time period.
I found it well researched and each story sucks you in. I knew the royals were morally corrupt but there’s a few stories that surprised me and these took place in the Victorian era.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for the delicate of heart or young impressionable minds. It would however be a great place to hunt for ideas under several different subjects for papers.
This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.
May 22, 2024
Thankyou to the publisher and Netgalley, and the author Debbie Blake for providing a copy in exchange for my review.
This came at an amazing time. My university professor recommended I read up on the Victorian era, and this book was THE perfect one for it.
The level of detail in each chapter is amazing and it gives the stories a really authentic true feel to them. I like the way it’s written it’s quite humorous whilst not detracting from the facts of the book. It is of course, a thrilling read for anyone interested in this time period or the history of the royal family. An easy read, keeps you engaged, and you learn something! 5/5
This came at an amazing time. My university professor recommended I read up on the Victorian era, and this book was THE perfect one for it.
The level of detail in each chapter is amazing and it gives the stories a really authentic true feel to them. I like the way it’s written it’s quite humorous whilst not detracting from the facts of the book. It is of course, a thrilling read for anyone interested in this time period or the history of the royal family. An easy read, keeps you engaged, and you learn something! 5/5
July 31, 2024
This book is a collection of true stories that captivated and outraged nineteenth-century Britain. These disreputable tales dominated the national newspapers, changed laws, and even demanded the Prince of Wales to testify in court. The stories go more in-depth than I expected. They’re engrossing, vivid, and often heart-wrenching.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews