London

London

"London" by szeke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Birthplace of Caroline Norton 

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and is among the oldest cities. The population in London exceeded one million by 1800 and much of the land was owned by aristocrats. London houses Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, and so many more historic sites. London, of course, is a huge part of literary history—some of the most famous writers lived there and used it as a backdrop in their major literary works. 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “London.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May. 2025,https://www.britannica.com/place/London/Industry. Accessed 9 May 2025.

Layers

Parent Map

Writers and the Voices of the Oppressed - Map, LB

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.507217800000
Longitude: -0.127586200000

Timeline of Events Associated with London

Caroline Norton Writes to the Queen: A History of Divorce

circa. 1855

 

Portrait of Mrs Caroline Norton

By George Frederic Watts - onlinecollection.nationalgalle…, Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.…

Caroline Norton's inspiration for writing to the queen came from her personal life; after leaving her husband, because of coverture, she had no access to her income.  Her, along with all English women, did not have legal rights over their own children, money, or bodies, while husbands had full legal authority to do as they pleased, with no consequence. Women had very little autonomy within marriage. After surviving an abusive marriage, she started writing publicly about it. She sent letters to Queen Victoria pushing for legal reforms, and even though she wasn’t officially part of Parliament or the law, her voice still helped change things. This moment matters because it shows how writing can work as political pressure. Norton used her own experience to expose how the law treated women like property. 

Greenblatt, Stephen . The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 11th ed., vol. E, W.W. Norton & Company, 2024.

Caroline Norton Writes to the Queen: A History of Divorce

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TimelineJS
Date Event Manage
circa. 1855

Caroline Norton Writes to the Queen: A History of Divorce

 

Portrait of Mrs Caroline Norton

By George Frederic Watts - http://onlinecollection.nationalgallery.ie/objects/6885, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101126107

Caroline Norton's inspiration for writing to the queen came from her personal life; after leaving her husband, because of coverture, she had no access to her income.  Her, along with all English women, did not have legal rights over their own children, money, or bodies, while husbands had full legal authority to do as they pleased, with no consequence. Women had very little autonomy within marriage. After surviving an abusive marriage, she started writing publicly about it. She sent letters to Queen Victoria pushing for legal reforms, and even though she wasn’t officially part of Parliament or the law, her voice still helped change things. This moment matters because it shows how writing can work as political pressure. Norton used her own experience to expose how the law treated women like property. 

Greenblatt, Stephen . The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 11th ed., vol. E, W.W. Norton & Company, 2024.