Drunkenness was perceived to be a growing social problem in the late nineteenth century. To treat drunkards, or so-called ‘inebriates’, a new Inebriates Act was passed in 1898. The Act required those classed as inebriates to undergo rehabilitation and treatment at specialised homes. Most research on the treatment of drunkenness has primarily focused on treating and controlling the working class and women. Hutton's article reveals new research on the treatment of men from the upper social ranks, using Abbotswood House in Gloucestershire as a case study. The article investigates the methods of treating inebriates and their effectiveness, as well as the daily lives of patients.
Tag: Church of England
Criminals or Martyrs? Wiltshire Quakers and the Law in Seventeenth-Century England
The first recorded Quaker meeting in Wiltshire took place in 1653. From the very beginning, the Wiltshire Quakers were met with staunch opposition from the local authorities of law and order. It was widely believed among the ruling elite that the nonconformist nature of Quakerism would lead to widespread resistance to authority. In this article, Kay Taylor looks into the ways in which Quakerism in Wiltshire was criminalised, how the Quaker community sought to justify their practices, and the phenomenon of martyrdom.