CDAs

Who proposed women to be added to the electorate?

In 1867, John Stuart proposed this

Syphilis rate

The London Royal Free Hospital said that 12.5% to 20% of admissions to the ear and eye ward were for syphilis

How many prostitutes were there in Victorian England?

500,000

Role of Florence Nightingale

She and Sir John Liddell set up a committee in 1862 which evaluated the impact of venereal diseases

Crimean War

1853-56, more soldiers died of STDs than on the battlefield, in 1860, 37% of army hospital admissions were for STDs

John William Acton

He published ‘Prostitution’ in 1857 where he argues that intervention with prostitutes was necessary

What was the CDAs newspaper?

‘The Shield’

Royal Commission

The 1871 commission found that CDAs were unfair on women

Forming of the Ladies National Association

Founded in 1869 with 120 women with a petition of 2,000 signatures

Ladies National Association allegations

I had eight allegations including that the act was passed through parliament secretly without debate and that it would increase the spread of venereal diseases

Petitions

They gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures

Henry Stork’s election

In 1870, the LNA interfered in his election which caused him to withdraw his candidacy

Mrs Percy Case

In 1875, she committed suicide after being arrested for prostitution

‘Siege of Devenport’

In the early 1870s, in Plymouth and Southampton prostitutes were persuaded to resist legal requirements of the Acts but they were compliant by 1872

1874 election

Disraeli’s conservatives won the election so the LNA lost their Liberal supporters

Opposition to the repeal

Association for Promoting the Extension of the CDA of 1866

Medical professionals

They began to believe that the legislations was not necessary

Charles Taylor

He formed the National Association for Repeal of the CDAs in 1869

Gladstone

He was the Liberal Prime Minister who privately supported the repeal of the CDAs

Elizabeth Wolstenholme

She founded the LNA and invited Butler to help her however she was not taken serioulsy due to her radical nature

Josephine Butler

She was one of the 33 national leaders of the LNA, a devout Catholic, founded the Social Purity Alliance in 1873 which raised the age of consent to 16, however she had a disconnect with the women but spoke at 99 LNA meetings in her first year

James Stansfeld

He was a Liberal MP who founded the National Medical Association in 1875, he also gave a speech to parliament in June 1875

Henry Wilson

He was a Liberal MP and was the leader of the Northern Counties League

Matrimonial Causes Act

1857, it meant that men could divorce their wives for adultery but women had to provide evidence of abuse

CDAs of 1864

It gave the police in port and garrison towns the power to arrest prostitutes

CDAs of 1866

This introduced compulsory examinations for prostitutes every 3 months and meant that prostitutes could be identified by one policeman

CDAs of 1869

This allowed for prostitutes to be held for five days, introduced lock hospitals and fortnightly inspections

Soldiers and syphilis

37/1000 soldiers with syphilis in protected areas while there were 194/1000 soldiers with syphilis in unprotected areas