Rape: A History from 1860 to the Present Day by Joanna Bourke - review by Caroline Moorehead

Caroline Moorehead

Brutal Truths

Rape: A History from 1860 to the Present Day

By

Virago 565pp £25
 

Shortly before Christmas 1880, Harriet, a fourteen-year-old servant girl, when she was sitting mending curtains in a parlour in North London, was assaulted and raped by her employer, a baker called Henry Burholt. She ran from the room and found the courage to report what had happened, first to Mrs Burholt, then to her mother and the police. A doctor, who examined her, agreed that she had been violated. Turning down various proffered bribes, Harriet insisted on taking the matter to court. 

A week before the rape, Harriet had been asked by Mrs Burholt to dress up in rags, blacken her face, and sing a risqué song for a party; she had also been sent to the local pub to fetch some beer. When the jury deliberated they decided that it was

Sign Up to our newsletter

Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.

RLF - March

A Mirror - Westend

Follow Literary Review on Twitter