Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents v
3. Acknowledgments vi
4. Abbreviations vii
5. Introduction 1
6. The Yeoman Dream
7. Deserted Wives and Independent Men 21
8. Married Women, Country Wives, and Destitute Orphans 43
9. Chivalry and the Democratic Judiciary 63
10. A Vision of Mutualistic Hierarchy
11. Creditors’ Rights, the 1887 Married Women’s Property Act, and the Emergence of a Liberal Femininity 87
12. The Conservation of Child-Life
13. Maintaining the “Hope of the Race”: Child-Saving in a Conservative Era, 1901–15 115
14. Child Protection and Women’s Equality in the Liberal Era, 1916–23 147
15. Public Policy, Published Decisions, and Police Courts 176
16. Conclusion 204
17. Notes 220
18. Select Bibliography 275
19. Index 284
20. Law and Society 295