Caroline+Norton

Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton was born on the 22nd of March 1808 in London to colonial official Thomas Sheridan and novelist wife, Caroline Henrietta Callender. Caroline was the second of three daughters. Although Caroline was ”considered plain and difficult by her mother” (Reynolds, “ Caroline Norton ” ), all three sisters were given the nickname “The Three Graces” for their beauty. Caroline was sent to a boarding school at the age of sixteen in 1824 at Shalford, Surrey when she first met George Chapple Norton (1800-1875) who was determined to marry her. Although Caroline didn’t share the same feelings as Norton, she accepted Norton’s proposal after the pressure to marry at her second season of being brought out into London Society.

Caroline “could count herself lucky that a moderately eligible bachelor was sufficiently in love with her to overlook her lack of dowry” (Acland, 32). Caroline believed that her marriage to Norton would benefit her socially as well as financially. “He was the younger brother of a peer who did not seem likely to have children...He was quite good looking, and there was nothing known against his character” (Acland, 32). Norton, a man “considered rather slow and dull” (Acland, 33), had Caroline’s mother’s approval; her mother believed him “as a suitable husband for her stormy and temperamental daughter” (Acland, 33). Norton’s family, however, were not as keen on having Caroline join the family as “they objected to Caroline’s lack of fortune, and to her Whig connections” (Acland, 33).

Caroline discovered that with her and Norton’s opposing personalities, frequent disputes would occur and Norton would resort to violence. Even while carrying their third child, Norton and Caroline’s fighting escalated to “forc[ing] her out of the room and down the stairs” (Acland, 64). Also with opposite political views, Caroline was a Whig while Norton was a Tory, there was additional strain on their relationship. Norton was a “desultory commissioner in bankruptcy under the Tory administrations of the 1820s” (Reynolds, “Caroline Norton”). He lost his seat in parliament in 1830. With Caroline’s interest in politics, she formed a strong relationship with Lord Melbourne, the Whig Prime Minister.

During the time of their marriage, women had very few rights, and when it came to marriage, women had no legal status or rights. Caroline was trapped in her marriage with Norton. To help her through it, Caroline wrote letters of complaints to her family. Caroline also rose in the social and literary world, as well as spending time in politics. Caroline’s literary interest became apparent “at the age of eleven writing and illustrating //The Dandies’ Rout// (a pastiche on the popular series of ‘Dandy’ books), which was published by John Marshall in 1820” (Reynolds “Caroline Norton”). Caroline continued with her interest after her marriage and her long poem, //The Sorrows of Rosalie,// which she had written when she was seventeen, was published in 1829 (Acland, 42). Caroline’s writing was well received and she was able to earn money from it. In 1832 she became editor of //La Belle Assemblee and Court Magazine.// Caroline also later became the editor of the //English Annual,// as well as working with other periodicals//.//

After another fight between Caroline and Norton occurred in 1835, Caroline left the house with the intention of not returning. However, the law stated that the man owned all of the wife’s property, including their children, there were still no laws against women being abused by the husband and Caroline eventually returned. In 1836, they once again separated. Norton kept the children to live with him, allowing Caroline to visit while she lived with her brother. Since they were still legally married, Norton had ownership of all of their property, and Caroline could not legally own property independently from Norton. The children were under Norton’s custody and Caroline had to negotiate visits. During one of the meetings between Norton and Caroline, Norton confessed he still loved Caroline and begged her to return. Desperate to see her children and tired from fighting against Norton, Caroline agreed. Norton agreed to have the children sent back to her from Scotland, but then decided to have her go to them instead which infuriated her once again. When, eventually, the children were sent back from Scotland, Caroline discovered that they were in bad health and neglected.

In 1837, Caroline wrote a pamphlet called //Separation of Mother and Child by the Custody of Infants Considered// (Acland, 103) to support her in the legal battle for her children. Caroline wrote the pamphlet to explain the immoral action of having women give up their rights over their child, Plans to alter the law were made but postponed until it was announced by Serjeant Talfourd, a Whig lawyer who had experience in infant custody cases, “that he did not intend to press his measure during that session as it was a subject of great delicacy and importance” (Acland, 113). Caroline was still hopeful and continued to lobby for the cause. The bill was finally passed 1839 as the Custody of Infants Act, but she still struggled to finalise an arrangement with Norton. In 1842, the children were with Norton when the youngest son obtained an injury after being thrown from a horse. His neglected injury led to blood poisoning and passed away before Caroline was able to arrive by his side. After the death, Norton and Caroline finally came to terms to an agreement where Caroline would have the children for half the year. Caroline continued to fight for women’s property rights up until her death in 1877. It wasn’t until 1923 that women were legally able to file for divorce. Caroline Norton had created a stepping stone for feminism and inspired other women to fight for their rights. EP/Engl386/Fall2012/UVic

Acland, Alice. Caroline Norton. London: Constable. 1948. Print. Hayter, George. Caroline Norton (1808-77) Society, Beauty and Author. Reynolds, K.D. “Caroline Norton.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004-12. Web. Unpagninated. 22 Oct. 2012
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