Why a Booktrail?
1838: The true story behind one of the most sensational divorce trials of the nineteenth century.
An Idle Woman
What you need to know before your trail
1838, England: When eighteen-year-old Frances Dickinson impulsively marries Lieutenant John Geils, all her hopes for her future are quickly shattered as she finds there is much about her husband she did not know. A cruel and violent man, John keeps Frances in isolation on his family’s estate, while spending her fortune and preying upon their maids.
Frances yearns to break free from her marriage but the law is not on her side. Only when John’s abuse escalates can she set in motion a daring plan to secure her freedom.
Travel Guide
Berkshire, Dunbartonshire
The Geils Divorce was the trial of the century. It was later considered a key case regarding the use of cruelty as a justification for marital separation.
She lived in Berkshire England, and he lived in Dumbuck in Dunbartonshire in Scotland,
The laws in both countries were very different and so appeals had to be made in both countries.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: An Idle Woman
Destination/Location: Berkshire, Dunbartonshire Author: Wendy Parkins Departure: 1830s
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