The Matchworkers’ Strike at Bryant and May in 1888 led to legislative improvements to protect women in the workplace and demonstrated that women could play a key role in gaining important rights through collective workplace bargaining.
The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 raised age of consent for girls to 16.
Helen Taylor was the first woman to run an election campaign for Parliament.
The Married Women’s Property Act 1882 gave married women ability to own and manage property independently of their husbands.
The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 introduced civil divorce and separation.
The Slave, Grave, a case about the emancipation of (women) slaves, is a forerunner of campaigns for the emancipation of women.
The Gaol Act 1823 regulated the management of gaols across England and Wales, providing regulations applying specifically to the circumstances of women prisoners
R v Jackson abolished husband’s legal entitlement to compel a wife to live with him and to use physical force against her.
A Brief Summary in Plain Language of the Most Important Laws Concerning Women, by Barbara Bodichon, set out the law which shaped and underpinned campaigns for women’s rights.