Remembering Caroline Norton

Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton (1808–1877) was an English author and social reformer. After Norton left her husband in 1836, he sued her friend and Prime Minister Lord Melbourne for adultery. Though the claim was thrown out of court, Norton was denied a divorce and access to her children. In response to this Norton campaigned vehemently, which eventually led to the historic passing of the Custody of Infants Act 1839, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857, and the Married Women's Property Act 1870. Th