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The Armstrong Girl: A child for sale: the battle against the Victorian sex trade
In November, 1885, Victorian England was scandalized by a court case which lifted the veil on prostitution and the sex trade. In the Old Bailey dock was the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, which had recently published a series of articles on the sex trade; a reformed brothel keeper; and the second-in-command of The Salvation Army, Bramwell Booth. The group was accused of abducting a 13 year old girl, Eliza Armstrong. They had, in fact, set up the scheme to expose the trade in young women. The resulting scandal triggered the raising of the Age of Consent in Britain from age 13 to 16. Many MPs and other men in positions of power were furious, and the campaigners were indicted under the 1861 Abduction Act. William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, would later be acquitted, but others went to prison, martyrs for justice. The Armstrong Girl is the story of that scandal, and of those who fought for this essential change in the law.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 22, 2015
I am so glad I picked this one up. Always a fan of history of the Victorian period, and this opened a whole new area of study I'd like to look more into. The Armstrong Girl focuses on one journal article and the court case that then came about because of it. All involving the "purchase" of a 13 year girl from a very poor part of London. William Thomas Stead, the editor of the newspaper, turned out to be one of the more fascinating people I've ever read about. This book has made me plan on studying him further.
The writing throughout was done very well. There was tons of instances of actual quotations from the court hearing, letters, and later autobiographies of the parties concerned that I really appreciated. Even as someone who has no real interest in the Salvation Army or history, like myself, was able to appreciate this book and the story it told about their part in the affair.
I received this book for free from netgallery in exchange for an honest review.
The writing throughout was done very well. There was tons of instances of actual quotations from the court hearing, letters, and later autobiographies of the parties concerned that I really appreciated. Even as someone who has no real interest in the Salvation Army or history, like myself, was able to appreciate this book and the story it told about their part in the affair.
I received this book for free from netgallery in exchange for an honest review.
September 24, 2015
This book is a gripping and detailed account of a terrible period in England's history, a time when the age of consent for sex was only thirteen and girls were being trapped in brothels, lured there with offers of work as domestic servants and sometimes even sold by their poverty-stricken parents, and raped.
Into this den of vice strides controversial newspaperman WT Stead, who, with the aid of the Salvation Army, fights for the age of consent to be raised and for laws to be introduced to protect girls from this fate. But Stead's methods are sometimes questionable, and this gets him into trouble.
While I wouldn't call this book a pleasant read, as the subject it covers is not one that makes for enjoyable reading, it is still riveting and it holds the reader's interest, especially since it's made clear at the start what Stead's behaviour results in.
Recommended.
Into this den of vice strides controversial newspaperman WT Stead, who, with the aid of the Salvation Army, fights for the age of consent to be raised and for laws to be introduced to protect girls from this fate. But Stead's methods are sometimes questionable, and this gets him into trouble.
While I wouldn't call this book a pleasant read, as the subject it covers is not one that makes for enjoyable reading, it is still riveting and it holds the reader's interest, especially since it's made clear at the start what Stead's behaviour results in.
Recommended.
July 7, 2015
In 1885 crusading journalist, W T Stead of the Pall Mall Gazette decided to look into the issue of child prostitution. What he uncovered shocked the nation and landed him in prison. This fascinating book shows how Victorian society was all very respectable on the surface but underneath there was a huge trade in often under age girls for the rich and well connected.
The age of consent at the time was just thirteen and many girls were sold into prostitution knowingly by their parents who were desperate for the money needed to keep their families clothed and fed. Stead, along with Mrs Josephine Butler and the founders of the Salvation Army the Booths became involved in Stead's campaign to get the age of consent raised. There was a lack of political will to do this and some MPs even thought it should be lowered rather than raised.
Stead hit upon the idea of buying a girl for seduction purposes but she must be 'pure'. Eliza Armstrong was the girl who was chosen with the help of Rebecca Jarrett, a reformed prostitute who was involved with the Salvation Army.
No harm came to Eliza as Stead and his associates were trying to prove that is was a common transaction in the Victorian underworld to buy and sell young girls as commodities to satisfy the desires of those who could afford it.
The series of articles published in the Pall Mall Gazette produced a storm of support for raising the age of consent and also a storm of protest from many who saw their pleasures being curtailed.
This book is very relevant today as it shows society is still battling with the same issues in the wake of the Rotherham and Oxford sex gangs and the revelations about such celebrities as Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile. We have progressed little in more than one hundred years.
W T STead and his associates ended up on trial for procuring a girl for immoral purposes and Stead himself served three months in prison. But they succeeded in getting the age of consent raised to sixteen where it remains today. Stead paved the way for later crusading journalists and set the tone of the twentieth and twenty first century investigative reporting.
The book contains notes on each chapter and a bibliography and is well written with plenty of quotations from original sources including the articles which galvanised the Victorians 'The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon'. This is worthwhile reading for anyone who is interested in social history and for anyone who wants to see how much or how little we have progressed in the intervening years. I received this book free from NetGalley for review.
The age of consent at the time was just thirteen and many girls were sold into prostitution knowingly by their parents who were desperate for the money needed to keep their families clothed and fed. Stead, along with Mrs Josephine Butler and the founders of the Salvation Army the Booths became involved in Stead's campaign to get the age of consent raised. There was a lack of political will to do this and some MPs even thought it should be lowered rather than raised.
Stead hit upon the idea of buying a girl for seduction purposes but she must be 'pure'. Eliza Armstrong was the girl who was chosen with the help of Rebecca Jarrett, a reformed prostitute who was involved with the Salvation Army.
No harm came to Eliza as Stead and his associates were trying to prove that is was a common transaction in the Victorian underworld to buy and sell young girls as commodities to satisfy the desires of those who could afford it.
The series of articles published in the Pall Mall Gazette produced a storm of support for raising the age of consent and also a storm of protest from many who saw their pleasures being curtailed.
This book is very relevant today as it shows society is still battling with the same issues in the wake of the Rotherham and Oxford sex gangs and the revelations about such celebrities as Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile. We have progressed little in more than one hundred years.
W T STead and his associates ended up on trial for procuring a girl for immoral purposes and Stead himself served three months in prison. But they succeeded in getting the age of consent raised to sixteen where it remains today. Stead paved the way for later crusading journalists and set the tone of the twentieth and twenty first century investigative reporting.
The book contains notes on each chapter and a bibliography and is well written with plenty of quotations from original sources including the articles which galvanised the Victorians 'The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon'. This is worthwhile reading for anyone who is interested in social history and for anyone who wants to see how much or how little we have progressed in the intervening years. I received this book free from NetGalley for review.
November 16, 2023
Fascinating and detailed exploration of the Victorian sex trade, underage prostitution and the trafficking of young girls, and the campaign by the Salvation Army and crusading journalist W T Stead to expose them. Based on meticulous research and many primary sources, it’s an often horrifying story. If I have any criticism it is that I found the long court transcripts a little tedious at times but I accept that it was necessary to include them. A really eye-opening and often shocking account.
November 18, 2015
It seems that history really does repeat itself. Here we are 130 years later and there are still children and impoverished women being sexually exploited and abused as if they were commodities. An important note about the intended audience: this book covers sex trafficking, prostitution and abuse. It might be upsetting for some readers.
I am primarily a nonfiction reader and an unabashed anglophile. I had never read about child sex trafficking in Victorian Britain. Today, the word Victorian is synonymous with stuffy and prudish. If you lift the rug a bit, you will find quite a different story. Victorians were fastidious about reputations and appearances. They did not necessarily practice what they preach. The period’s social inequalities sent desperate women into the world’s oldest profession to survive.
By the age of 13 (if not earlier), a child was expected to support themselves and/or their family. Out of desperation some parents turned a blind eye to the circumstances of their child’s employment. I think that this was the case with the 13 year old, Eliza Armstrong, whose Mother sent her off with strangers for modern the equivalent of 575.00. The mother later claimed she had no knowledge of the true intentions or the purchaser but by that point a public outcry was in full force. When a newspaper printed the sordid details, the outcry and eventual trial led the the Child Protection Act of 1885.
Eliza was “purchased” by W.T. Stead, who had no intention of abusing her. He got more than he bargained for. When he went to the newspaper with the story, he omitted the part about purchasing the child himself. While he did not harm her, he was subjected to a criminal trial in which the family and the child were forced to publicly testify and the details made public. Stead and his accomplices, mainly from the Salvation Army, had been working to remove children and women from sexual exploitation. Their prosecution was a sham. The truth was that some very powerful men were furious at the resulting change in the legal age of consent. They could no longer legally have sex with a 13 year old and they could no longer legally wed their children off at 13 (marriage was still a business proposition for the upper class). Stead served three months in jail and two other defendants served six months in jail. Stead later died on the Titanic, one of the selfless men who did not claim a seat on the rescue boats. Eliza’s family received money from the public and she reportedly went into service as a kitchen maid. What became of her is unknown.
There is a lot of first-hand information about the characters and the actual trial in this book. British libraries have a fabulous archive of letters written by and about the scandal, the trial and people involved. Newspapers were becoming widespread and were also coming into their stride in investigative reporting. Because of the wild public outrage, there is quite a bit of material available. Anyone and everyone who had anything at all to do with the case was scrutinized. Some wrote books and many passed documentation on to their descendants who made them available.
This book has simple prose. It could easily be read by a high school student or even some middle schoolers. It is not overly long. it does a good job of covering all the bases and makes the case without bias or emotion.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
I am primarily a nonfiction reader and an unabashed anglophile. I had never read about child sex trafficking in Victorian Britain. Today, the word Victorian is synonymous with stuffy and prudish. If you lift the rug a bit, you will find quite a different story. Victorians were fastidious about reputations and appearances. They did not necessarily practice what they preach. The period’s social inequalities sent desperate women into the world’s oldest profession to survive.
By the age of 13 (if not earlier), a child was expected to support themselves and/or their family. Out of desperation some parents turned a blind eye to the circumstances of their child’s employment. I think that this was the case with the 13 year old, Eliza Armstrong, whose Mother sent her off with strangers for modern the equivalent of 575.00. The mother later claimed she had no knowledge of the true intentions or the purchaser but by that point a public outcry was in full force. When a newspaper printed the sordid details, the outcry and eventual trial led the the Child Protection Act of 1885.
Eliza was “purchased” by W.T. Stead, who had no intention of abusing her. He got more than he bargained for. When he went to the newspaper with the story, he omitted the part about purchasing the child himself. While he did not harm her, he was subjected to a criminal trial in which the family and the child were forced to publicly testify and the details made public. Stead and his accomplices, mainly from the Salvation Army, had been working to remove children and women from sexual exploitation. Their prosecution was a sham. The truth was that some very powerful men were furious at the resulting change in the legal age of consent. They could no longer legally have sex with a 13 year old and they could no longer legally wed their children off at 13 (marriage was still a business proposition for the upper class). Stead served three months in jail and two other defendants served six months in jail. Stead later died on the Titanic, one of the selfless men who did not claim a seat on the rescue boats. Eliza’s family received money from the public and she reportedly went into service as a kitchen maid. What became of her is unknown.
There is a lot of first-hand information about the characters and the actual trial in this book. British libraries have a fabulous archive of letters written by and about the scandal, the trial and people involved. Newspapers were becoming widespread and were also coming into their stride in investigative reporting. Because of the wild public outrage, there is quite a bit of material available. Anyone and everyone who had anything at all to do with the case was scrutinized. Some wrote books and many passed documentation on to their descendants who made them available.
This book has simple prose. It could easily be read by a high school student or even some middle schoolers. It is not overly long. it does a good job of covering all the bases and makes the case without bias or emotion.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
November 3, 2015
"The Armstrong Girl" tells how the practice of buying young girls for prostitution was exposed in 1885 in Britain. The author explained how a series of newspaper articles exposed this human trafficking, how this helped push through legislation that raised the age of consent from 13 to 16, and the resulting court case. There's also some background on the major players. The author quoted from the newspaper articles, the transcripts from the court cases, and from personal letters.
William Stead wanted to expose a topic that was considered too obscene to talk about and not something that women and child should ever hear about. To do this, he felt he had to prove that a 13-year-old could be bought. He got a reformed former brothel-keeper to help him buy such a girl. They did everything that would have happened to someone bought for the sex trade, only she wasn't violated.
Stead's resulting newspaper articles launched a public outcry that brought about a change in the age of consent, but a lot of people weren't happy about it. Some of them convinced the girl's parents to take legal action against William Stead, his helpers, and some members of the Salvation Army who had taken care of the girl after she had been bought. William Stead had, technically, abducted the girl under the current laws. The transcripts from the court cases show just how one went about obtaining a girl and why those involved went to this extreme.
The book was interesting, easy to follow, and should appeal to a general audience. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the topic.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
William Stead wanted to expose a topic that was considered too obscene to talk about and not something that women and child should ever hear about. To do this, he felt he had to prove that a 13-year-old could be bought. He got a reformed former brothel-keeper to help him buy such a girl. They did everything that would have happened to someone bought for the sex trade, only she wasn't violated.
Stead's resulting newspaper articles launched a public outcry that brought about a change in the age of consent, but a lot of people weren't happy about it. Some of them convinced the girl's parents to take legal action against William Stead, his helpers, and some members of the Salvation Army who had taken care of the girl after she had been bought. William Stead had, technically, abducted the girl under the current laws. The transcripts from the court cases show just how one went about obtaining a girl and why those involved went to this extreme.
The book was interesting, easy to follow, and should appeal to a general audience. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the topic.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
December 19, 2015
The Salvation Army was founded to help unfortunates through good Christian charity and in the 19th Century the organisation was shocked to discover that young girls were being sold into the sex trade. Son of the founders, Bramwell Booth, joined forces with a crusading journalist to expose this trade. Their plan was to 'buy' a young girl from her parents, place her in a house of ill-repute and move her to the continent, this was accomplished with the help of a reformed prostitute and the story was splashed all over the pages of the press. The idea was to shame Parliament into reforming laws around the age of consent but the protagonists were charged and tried in the Central Criminal Court. This book follows the extraordinary story.
These days much is made in the press about Child Sexual Exploitation and also about human trafficking but this book exposes a venal underbelly to life in Victorian England. Men were willing to pay large amounts of money to have sex with very young virgins and, once a child had been inducted into a life of vice, there was little chance of escape for the victim. Le Feuvre's book picks up from her debut biography of the founders of the Salvation Army, looking closely at one incident with real links to the twenty-first century. Meticulously researched, this book is shocking but ultimately uplifting - the triumph of moral decency over corruption.
These days much is made in the press about Child Sexual Exploitation and also about human trafficking but this book exposes a venal underbelly to life in Victorian England. Men were willing to pay large amounts of money to have sex with very young virgins and, once a child had been inducted into a life of vice, there was little chance of escape for the victim. Le Feuvre's book picks up from her debut biography of the founders of the Salvation Army, looking closely at one incident with real links to the twenty-first century. Meticulously researched, this book is shocking but ultimately uplifting - the triumph of moral decency over corruption.
January 17, 2016
The Salvation Army was founded to help unfortunates through good Christian charity and in the 19th Century the organisation was shocked to discover that young girls were being sold into the sex trade. Son of the founders, Bramwell Booth, joined forces with a crusading journalist to expose this trade. Their plan was to 'buy' a young girl from her parents, place her in a house of ill-repute and move her to the continent, this was accomplished with the help of a reformed prostitute and the story was splashed all over the pages of the press. The idea was to shame Parliament into reforming laws around the age of consent but the protagonists were charged and tried in the Central Criminal Court. This book follows the extraordinary story.
These days much is made in the press about Child Sexual Exploitation and also about human trafficking but this book exposes a venal underbelly to life in Victorian England. Men were willing to pay large amounts of money to have sex with very young virgins and, once a child had been inducted into a life of vice, there was little chance of escape for the victim. Le Feuvre's book picks up from her debut biography of the founders of the Salvation Army, looking closely at one incident with real links to the twenty-first century. Meticulously researched, this book is shocking but ultimately uplifting - the triumph of moral decency over corruption.
These days much is made in the press about Child Sexual Exploitation and also about human trafficking but this book exposes a venal underbelly to life in Victorian England. Men were willing to pay large amounts of money to have sex with very young virgins and, once a child had been inducted into a life of vice, there was little chance of escape for the victim. Le Feuvre's book picks up from her debut biography of the founders of the Salvation Army, looking closely at one incident with real links to the twenty-first century. Meticulously researched, this book is shocking but ultimately uplifting - the triumph of moral decency over corruption.
February 18, 2018
Very interesting, a powerful insight into an era when the age of consent as far as sexual relations went was 13, when people generally speaking didn't know about or, worse still, didn't blink an eye about what was essentially the 'purchasing' of girls (and boys) for sexual purposes until ...
Lifting the veil on the sordid world of child prostitution, along with several others, journalist and editor, William E Stead took up the cause. A cause that was to lead them into the dock of the Old Bailey.
Hardly a pleasant read but nevertheless an important one that, sadly, is still relevant today as our society battles with similar issues.
Abounding with quotations from original sources including those taken directly from the newspaper articles which chronicled the case surrounding Eliza Armstrong, the Armstrong girl of the title. Well written, I'd suggest this as a great read for those with an interest in social history.
Copyright: Tract Terry @ Pen and Paper
Lifting the veil on the sordid world of child prostitution, along with several others, journalist and editor, William E Stead took up the cause. A cause that was to lead them into the dock of the Old Bailey.
Hardly a pleasant read but nevertheless an important one that, sadly, is still relevant today as our society battles with similar issues.
Abounding with quotations from original sources including those taken directly from the newspaper articles which chronicled the case surrounding Eliza Armstrong, the Armstrong girl of the title. Well written, I'd suggest this as a great read for those with an interest in social history.
Copyright: Tract Terry @ Pen and Paper
February 5, 2022
DNF. It was interesting and quite an easy read, I kind of got the gist of what was happening though and didn't feel motivated to finish whole was rheough. Interesting look at the Victoria sec trade, Salvation Army and the first tabloid papers, will probably return to when more motivated
July 23, 2015
This is a book about a fascinating subject, but perhaps it focuses too much on the trial and not enough on the motivations of the participants, W T Stead in particular.
July 20, 2016
An interesting read. Very informative but at points it couldn't decide if it were a narrative story or a history text book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews