'A Sad Tale of Domestic Life': Identifying 'Separate Spheres' in Violent Crime By and Against Domestic Servants in Dundee, ca. 1860-1910

Abstract

This thesis has two aims: the first, to breathe new life into the concept of ‘separate spheres’ as a framework of cultural-historical, rather than solely socio-economic, significance; and the second, to identify the moral and empirical impact of the separate spheres in the violent lives of domestic servants in Dundee between 1860 and 1910. Dundee Police Court trials - sourced in newspapers - along with criminal cases of the High Court of the Scottish Justiciary - held by the National Archives of Scotland - are examined to identify the level violent crime perpetrated by and committed against these domestic servants was influenced by the ideologies and practicalities of the separate spheres. Where did these crimes take place? Why were the Dundonian maidservants unique? How were they made aware of their position in society? What was their ‘sad tale of domestic life’?