From Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first female physician and surgeon in Britain, to Emily Wilding Davison, whose ultimate sacrifice became a defining moment in the suffrage movement, these women refused to be confined by the limitations of their time. Christina Rossetti used poetry to challenge gender roles, Beatrix Potter turned her passion for nature into a publishing empire, and Lillie Langtry became the first celebrity to endorse commercial products, redefining women’s influence in the public sphere.

Through resilience, intellect, and defiance, these women transformed their world. Victorian Feminists brings their struggles and triumphs to life, proving that the fight for equality did not begin in the 20th century—it was already being waged in the drawing rooms, lecture halls, and streets of Victorian Britain.　

Rebecca Wilson has a bachelors’ degree in history and English literature; after gaining her PGCE she taught English and history for several years. She now writes for The Historians Magazine on a range of historical periods and gets involved in archaeological digs when the opportunity arises. Rebecca is part of a group of volunteers who raise funds and awareness for the Egremont Castle, a beautiful medieval ruin. She has been a guest speaker on Talking Tudors and speaks passionately on the dissolution of the monasteries and the life and work of William Skaespeare. This is her first book.

But Mary was more than just a criminal mastermind. A ‘swan-necked beauty’ and muse to esteemed artist Frederic Leighton, she navigated both the art world and the criminal underworld with ease. She was a revered gang boss and a beloved benefactor, caring for the families of imprisoned comrades and ruling with both generosity and iron discipline.

When a young boy, Michael McGee, vanished at the Epsom races, eyes on the street turned to Mary, who had recently adopted a young blonde-haired boy and had been showing him off to the world. But her defiance would prove her undoing. Betrayed by an informant, she was arrested for child theft in 1896, sentenced to three years in prison, and lost everything. How does a woman who loses her home, her title and her son all in one blow rise again?

Emma Woodhouse’s compelling narrative unravels the legend of Mary Carr — a woman who defied Victorian expectations, reshaped London’s underworld, and became one of the most fascinating figures of her time.　

The name of Mary Fitton as a contender for the identity of the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s Sonnets has been known of since 1890 when Thomas Tyler first proposed it. Since then theories have been put forward as to why she is not and who therefore might fit the bill, equally arguments as to why she is. Added to which the actual authorship of what are known as Shakespear’s Sonnets is hotly debated.

This new book looks at Mary’s story in the context of her immediate family, her life in the Queen’s court, her companions, her lovers and her two husbands. It also considers the arguments for and against her identification as the ’Dark Lady’ and refers to the authorship debate.　

Tony Bostock is a local historian who since his school days has had a passion for the history of his home county of Cheshire. He is well known in the county as a regular speaker on aspects of Cheshire’s past as well as being the the author of fifteen books and numerous articles in learned journals. Having retired from a career in public service he devotes his time to research, writing and lecturing on local history, genealogy and heraldry.

Martha Dandridge Washington, the quintessential domestic lady, gladly went wherever her husband asked - including regular sojourns encamped with the army during wartime. She also spent eight years in New York and Philadelphia, supervising comfort in the then-executive mansions, setting the tone for the office itself.

Abigail Smith Adams, the brilliant and intellectual lady, endured long separations from her politically and diplomatically active husband, survived a harrowing ocean voyage and awakened to a European sophistication she could never have imagined. Her intelligence and insights set a benchmark for what a First Lady could achieve.

Dolley Payne Madison, the delightful and socially talented lady, became the most famous American woman of her time. She lifted her reticent and intellectual husband to a prominence he might never have achieved alone. She put the role on the map forever. In their own ways, they are our collective national great-grandmothers, deserving of our admiration and affection.　

Feather Schwartz Foster spent more than 35 years in advertising before starting a retirement career that has centred on US First Ladies, specifically the old gals. She has written five books on the subject, presented regular programs at the Osher Institute of the College of William and Mary for the last fifteen years, and was featured on C-SPAN’s series on the First Ladies.

Mary Beatrice learned the rudiments of governance at her widowed mother’s knee, and would one day act as regent of the Stuart court-in-exile—first for King James, then for their son, James Francis Edward. “The Queen over the Water” would shine as a beacon for the Jacobite cause.

Once, Mary Beatrice longed to be a nun. Instead, the young woman had to accept a different mission—marriage to James Duke of York, heir to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Although James’s conversion to Catholicism made their marriage possible, it set off a firestorm of controversy in the mysterious northern realm.

The story of the British Isles was romantic, but the reality was jarring. Thrown into the frenzy of Restoration politics, Mary Beatrice met each fresh episode courageously. Charles II adored his sister-in-law, but MPs strove to annul the “Italian match” before it could be consummated. She and James fell in love, but his philandering nearly broke her.

Building on Este tradition, Mary Beatrice won over the common folk, inspired poets and painters, introduced Italian opera, and drew talented ladies to court. She also attracted her flamboyant Mazarinette cousin Hortense Mancini to England, where she joined King Charles’s harem.

Ultimately, James and Mary Beatrice were coronated with great ceremony, but their troubles were only just beginning. For the first time in English history, it looked like the birth of a healthy prince might actually destroy the monarchy instead of strengthening it…　

Justine Brown was born in Vancouver, Canada, and travelled widely from a young age. She holds an M.A. in English literature from the University of Toronto, where she developed a broad interest in seventeenth century culture. There she became a Junior Fellow of Massey College. The author of three Utopian-themed books, she runs a YouTube history vlog, Justine Brown’s Bookshelf. She lives in London with her husband.

Abigail Williams is a graduate of the University of Nottingham with a degree in Russian Language and History. Her academic focus on medieval Rus and religious studies has fueled a lifelong fascination with the region’s history. Having travelled extensively in Russia for both study and exploration, she developed a particular fondness for Saint Petersburg, where she spent much of 2019 wandering the halls of the Winter Palace. A firm believer that no visit to Russia is complete without trying Medovik, she is always eager to share her passion for Eastern European history and culture.

Of course, as in all areas of history, women are often disregarded and demoted to second-rate roles, so finding out about such women has only been possible thanks to court records, oral history, and newspaper reports. As a result, the subject has not been covered elsewhere in any great detail and this book attempts to resolve that gap. It covers the whole of the U.K. and has chapters on the U.S.A. and Europe and is intended to entertain and amuse as well as, perhaps, to educate.　

Dee Gordon is an East Ender who has been a Southend resident for nearly thirty years. She started writing in the 1960s, selling many teenage romances (picture stories) to the likes of Romeo, Marilyn, and Mirabelle. However, when she got a “proper” job – in the recruitment industry – she found that the only way to succeed was to focus on the job and let the writing slide. Having had her own successful recruitment business for nearly twenty years meant that, in 2000, she was able to take the opportunity to write pretty much full time – allowing for the demands of her autistic son, that is. Before picking up her pen, the first thing she did was to complete her English Literature degree with the Open University, something that she had wanted to achieve to prove she could write more than training manuals and business plans. So far, her published work encompasses novel (Meat Market – about recruitment, what else – and My Little Brother, My Little Life, due for publication August 2015), a self-published poetry anthology (Bad Girls which was launched at Southend Library as part of their National Year of Reading programme) and twelve local history books including Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and around Southend-on-Sea for Pen-and-Sword. See www.deegordon-writer.com for more information on Dee, the talks she gives to raise money for Southend Mencap, and, of course, her books.

In this fascinating and well-researched narrative, the intertwined lives of these two literary greats come to life. What drew them together despite their contrasting personalities? How did they influence each other’s work, navigate the challenges of publishing, and contend with the harsh judgment of critics? Did Elizabeth Gaskell’s well-meaning interventions, both personal and professional, shape the course of Charlotte’s life in ways never before considered?

Through letters, historical records, and fresh insights, this book reveals the warmth, respect, and complexities of their brief but profound connection. A tale of admiration, resilience, and literary legacy, it sheds new light on the enduring impact of a friendship that helped shape our understanding of one of literature’s most beloved figures.　

Susan Dunne was born near Manchester and lives near Haworth. A lifelong Brontë and Gaskell enthusiast, she wrote her undergraduate thesis on the portrayal of the working class in Elizabeth Gaskell and studied Victorian literature at postgraduate level. She has worked- amongst other things - as a teacher and journalist, her work appearing in numerous regional and national publications.

Using examples from actual trial records and so-called witch confessions, this book explores how societal norms surrounding women caused so many to face the rope and the flames and how those norms were exacerbated by the chaos of the reformation and the wars of the Three Kingdoms. How did the magical beliefs of ordinary people become twisted into Devil worship? And why did so many come to believe this? How did the Scottish church and the courts fall into a frenzy of belief that the Devil was around every corner, causing terror across Lowland Scotland, and how did they extract themselves from that frenzy?

Finally, the book looks at how this period of persecution affected the ordinary people of Scotland and what lessons it might hold for today.　

Mary W. Craig is a Scottish writer and historian. She is a former Carnegie scholar and holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Glasgow. Mary researches and writes about various aspects of the social history of Scotland as well as giving talks, lectures and hosting a podcast, Borders Bletherings, where she explores the history of the Scottish Borders. She has a particular interest in the ordinary Scots persecuted as witches in the late 16th and 17th centuries. Mary is a member of Scottish PEN and is the author of Borders Witch Hunt and Agnes Finnie: the Witch of the Potterrow Port.

Marian Lister was Anne’s younger sister and the two women had a complex and fascinating relationship. The evidence reveals Marian to be a complicated woman who both resented, loved and was fiercely protective of her older sister. Forced to live together for a large part of their lives Anne vehemently disapproved of Marian’s desire to escape in order to marry a “carpet maker” feeling him to be unworthy of the sister she herself derided. Marian, for her part, did not understand her elder sister’s relationships with women, but she accepted them, defended her and worried about her excessively even whilst she ranted about Anne’s spending, scheming and selfishness.

When together, the two women bickered constantly with Marian, literally at times screaming in frustration at her headstrong sister. Anne, for her part, complained that Marian was “simple … good for nothing,” yet her approval meant a good deal to her.

Here, for the first time, we look at the complex relationship between the two women, how it developed, its moments of triumph and tragedy, as well as the profound influence it had on each of their lives.　

Rebecca Batley is an archaeologist and historian, with a particular interest in women’s history. Her work can be found in numerous publications including New Scientist, Gay and Lesbian Review and AHM. She regularly writes for Ancient Origins and has worked for, amongst others, MOLA and Wessex Archaeology.

Imagine a time when Harrow-on-the-Hill was crowned with a pagan temple, when the commercial heart of London beat not in the City but at the Aldwych, when giant zombies patrolled Strathclyde, and when the Fenlands of Cambridgeshire were a single swamp and the home of eel-wranglers, egret-catchers, and bog-miners. This is the world to which Alex Harvey transports us in this powerfully evocative and clever account of Britain in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal. Made up of more than sixty micro-histories of the places which flourished between the fifth and tenth centuries, his book is both a time machine and an A to Z of a lost age. But it is much more besides. By starting with the little kingdoms, Alex Harvey reverses the standard narrative which interprets Dark Age Britain through the lens of what it was to become. You will never see the Anglo-Saxon world in the same light and you will probably never again describe it as Anglo-Saxon but instead as a multiplicity of overlapping cultures, languages, and myths of origin. - Martyn Rady, Masaryk Professor Emeritus of Central European History at UCL and author of The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe

Alex Harvey is a postgraduate archaeology student from the University of York, and now a lecturer and museum professional who works in Yorkshire. He has written for academic journals and magazines like Early Medieval England, and has presented research at conferences from Leeds to Leiden. Author of Forgotten Vikings: New Approaches To The Viking Age, and Riddles Of The Isle, Harvey continually seeks to make lesser-known elements of history accessible and entertaining.

Some of these women lived in luxurious comfort, and others were bullied and badgered into turning over some or all of their patrimony, allowing these all-powerful men to build an influential and powerful new state comprised of a numerous and varied collection of territories in Western Europe that existed from the late fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century.

We will meet women who were the daughters of kings, emperors, dukes and counts and even a queen regnant and a saint. The Valois dukes fully entrusted their wives with ruling in their stead while away fighting military and political wars. They used a deliberate policy of making marriages for their daughters and other female relatives into the many houses of Europe for political and territorial gains. In the end, the last Valois duke, Charles the Bold, put in motion a marriage for his daughter Mary, which would eventually bring about the end of the mighty Burgundian state, allowing it to be ruled by the House of Habsburg and absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire.　

Susan’s passion for history dates back fifty years and led her to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is currently a member of the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association, the Society for Renaissance Studies and the Historical Association. Her work has appeared on several historical websites and in magazines and includes guest appearances on historical podcasts. Her blog, The Freelance History Writer, has continuously published over five hundred historical articles since 2012, with an emphasis on European, Tudor, Medieval, Renaissance, Early Modern and women’s history. She is currently working on her third non-fiction book.

Welcome to a world which ordered people not to leave their homes after nightfall and not to let their pigs wander the streets, where butchers who sold bad meat to the public were locked into a pillory with the meat burning beneath them, and where dirt heaps, common scolds, and attempts to cure diseases with dead animal flesh were a normal part of life. Were medieval towns really as filthy as we might think? If not, how did people wash themselves and their clothes? What did being drawn on the hurdle mean? What did people eat, and where did they buy it? What happened to criminals? Did women work outside the home, and if so, in which professions? What were people’s houses like? How did they entertain themselves? How much did they earn, and how much did things cost? What kind of medical treatment was available? Did people travel to other towns, and if so, how did they get there?　

Kathryn Warner holds a BA and an MA with Distinction in medieval history and literature from the University of Manchester, and is the author of biographies about Edward II and his queen Isabella. Kathryn has had work published in the English Historical Review, has given a paper at the International Medieval Congress, and appeared in a BBC documentary.

盧克·戴利是東英吉利大學的博士生，他正在進行一項開創性的研究，探索坎特伯雷大教堂的財務記錄，旨在揭示1200年至1300年間英格蘭的基督教修道制度。此外，盧克也著有《中世紀聖徒及其罪孽：透過聖徒及其故事重現中世紀新史》（2024年由Pen and Sword出版社出版）和《中世紀拉丁語：初學者自學指南》（2021年出版）。2025年，他因在該領域的研究成果入選BBC HistoryExtra「30位30歲以下傑出青年」榜單。除了學術研究之外，盧克還是一位著作豐富的作家。 他的第一本書《中世紀拉丁語：初學者自學指南》於2021年11月透過亞馬遜Kindle Direct Publishing平台自費出版。這本內容全面的指南取得了巨大成功，暢銷全球。然而，盧克對歷史的熱情遠不止於文字。他主持著一檔頗受歡迎的播客節目「戴利中世紀播客」，在YouTube和Spotify等平台上擁有眾多忠實聽眾。透過這個播客節目，盧克不僅分享引人入勝的歷史故事，還採訪專業人士、作家和歷史學家同行，並豐富聽眾對歷史的理解。

About Luke Daly

Luke Daly is a PhD student at the University of East Anglia where he is embarking on groundbreaking research into the financial records of Canterbury Cathedral, aiming to shed light on Christian monasticism within England from 1200 to 1300. Alongside this, Luke is the author of ’Medieval Saints and their Sins: A New History of the Middle Ages Through Saints and Their Stories’ (2024) with Pen and Sword Publishing and ’Medieval Latin: A Beginner’s Self-Taught Guide’ (2021). In 2025, he was listed in BBC HistoryExtra’s ’30 Under 30’ for his work in the field.In addition to his academic pursuits, Luke is a prolific author.

He self-published his first book, Medieval Latin: A Beginner’s Self-Taught Guide, in November 2021 through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. This comprehensive guide has seen great success, with copies sold internationally. Yet, Luke’s passion for history extends beyond the written word. He hosts a popular podcast, "The Daly Medieval Podcast," which has gained a devoted following on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. Through the podcast, Luke not only shares captivating historical narratives but also conducts interviews with professionals, authors, and fellow historians, enriching the listeners’ understanding of the past.

Almost as interesting as the marriages these girls made are the ones that were never realised. Many English princesses were betrothed, or proposed as brides, three or more times before they were married. Their failed marriage proposals demonstrated their influence and worth on the international royal marriage market, as well as the changing allegiances between countries and the making and breaking of international friendships.

Princesses of the Early Middle Ages will also examine how these girls, who were often political pawns, were able to control their own lives and fates. Whilst they were expected to obey their parents in their marriage choices, several princesses were able to exert their own influence on these choices, with some outright refusing the husbands offered to them.

Their stories are touching, inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking.　

Sharon Bennett Connolly, has been fascinated by history her whole life. She has studied history academically and just for fun – and even worked as a tour guide at historical sites, including Conisbrough Castle. For Christmas 2014, her husband gave her a blog as a gift – www.historytheinterestingbits.com – and Sharon started researching and writing about the stories that have always fascinated. Ladies of Magna Carta is her third non-fiction book. Her first book, Heroines of the Medieval World, was published in September 2017 and the second, Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest, was released in 2018. Sharon gives talks on women’s history and her TV work includes Australian television’s Who Do You Think You Are?

Illustrator, Gabriele Pino Born in 1993, since 2015 he has been a freelance illustrator for publishers and companies, and he also designs comics for the weekly, Origami. Nature and human beings are his preferred subjects and souces of inspiration, he appreciate both their poetic qualities and their bizarreness.

Jayson Kowinsky is an avid paleontology enthusiast and the creator of ‘Fossilguy.com,’ a popular website offering fossil identification guides, site information, and educational resources for amateurs and professionals. Dedicated to bridging the gap between amateur fossil hunters and professional paleontologists, Jayson has served as the first ‘Avocational Liaison’ to the Paleontological Society and received service awards for his efforts. His fossils have appeared in numerous publications and research papers, and he has donated many scientifically valuable specimens to museums. A dedicated educator and physics teacher, Jayson also enjoys global travel, wildlife restoration, and outdoor adventures with his wife.

In this new biography, which draws on her surviving writings, personal letters and travel diaries, Emma Gifford Hardy steps out from behind her famous husband’s shadow as a woman who was clever, complex, and unapologetically herself. She travelled with curiosity, read voraciously, and dreamed of becoming a writer in her own right.

With warmth, empathy, and a fresh eye, this book reclaims Emma’s narrative and restores her to the centre of her own story, whilst also providing a different insight into the life of Thomas Hardy by exploring her influence on him and his works.　

Queens. The imprisonment imposed by Elizabeth I seems caused by Elizabeth’s fear of her cousin. Yet Elizabeth defended her Catholic cousin from protestant critics and refused to take action that could lead to her execution. This resistance was overcome by Francis Walsingham, appointed Elizabeth’s chief advisor in 1573, only to find Elizabeth resisted action against Mary.

Walsingham as Elizabeth’s secretary of state had the priority to defend Elizabeth from Catholic rebels. The previous Secretary of State, Lord Burghley, had the same priority and wanted to try Mary as inciting Catholic plots. Elizabeth had no problem with executing opponents - the Duke of Norfolk, was executed in 1572 for wanting to marry the Scots Queen – but Mary was untouchable, though Walsingham discovered plot after plot revealing that Mary was Catholic England’s major threat

Why did Walsingham choose to continue the struggle against the Queens? Why finally did he force Elizabeth to put Mary on trial – being executed in 1587? Mary had always known he was her most skilful enemy. But the way Mary was out-manoeuvered by the Man in Black has not been fully told till now. The key factor is not a struggle against one Queen. Walsingham challenged two.

Elizabeth had refused to take the advice of her protestant advisors that Catholic Mary was an intolerable danger, but Walsingham broke her resistance by using brilliant espionage to reveal the Babington plotters. Was this double cross simply to trap the Scottish Queen – or was the aim as much Queen Elizabeth?　

Trevor Fisher studied History & Politics BA at Warwick University, where he was taught by E.P.Thompson, and Cultural Studies MA at Birmingham University, where his tutor was Stuart Hall. His books include SCANDAL; THE SEXUAL POLITICS OF LATE VICTORIAN BRITAIN and OSCAR & BOSIE, A FATAL PASSION. His website is trevorfisherhistorian.com