Family Skeletons: Exploring the Lives of our Disreputable Ancestors

Did you know that until 1823 suicides were buried at crossroads to prevent them haunting the living? Or that until 1886, women suspected of prostitution could be forcibly examined? Most families have a skeleton. You may have already discovered yours via the grapevine or your own research. Or you may simply be intrigued by the dark side of our past. This popular history explores the behaviour of our disreputable ancestors, both the unfortunate and the criminal, and introduces a host of colourful characters from seventeenth-century witches to Victorian baby farmers. Thematically arranged by skeleton, the text describes how society punished and provided for its "offenders" - as well as the changing attitudes that could ultimately bring acceptance.