Using a wide range of prosecution and trial records, along with more recent newspaper coverage of court proceedings, this book furnishes a fascinating insight into the relationship between the law, sex, and society in modern Scotland. Case studies of sex-related offences, including abortion, bestiality, brothel-keeping, child sexual assault, and wilful HIV transmission, reveal how far the legal process both reflected and reinforced contemporary moral panics and how far it was shaped by the interplay between law officers and forensic experts, by the prejudices of the local community and civic leaders, and by Scotland's distinctive legal and moral identity. The law in practice is seen to have sustained important norms of sexual behaviour and masculinity along with an enduring double moral standard with respect to female sexuality. This volume thus affords a remarkable new perspective on the sexual behaviours and ideologies of Scottish society across the twentieth century and into the new millennium.

In 1907 the Probation of Offenders Act introduced a system which allowed offenders to be rehabilitated at home under supervision, rather than being sent to prison. This book explores how the probation system was used to regulate the private lives, emotions and behaviours of people in Britain between 1907 and 1962. Access to the private sphere, both physically and psychologically, meant that the probation system was particularly well-suited to offences related to intimate and personal relations. With each chapter focusing on a particular type of offence, including wife assault, attempted suicide, male sexual offences and female prostitution, Settle shows how experiences of the probationers were shaped by the everyday practices of probation, and assesses the extent to which probation was successful in rehabilitating offenders and protecting the public. Also examining the role of probation officers in marriage reconciliation, the book explores how ideas about gender and domesticity were crucial to both the process of rehabilitation and the endeavour to make the home a safe environment in which these domestic ideals could come into fruition. Probation and Policing of the Private Sphere in Britain enriches our understanding of the role of the state in policing, monitoring and promoting the well-being of its citizens, and explores the nuances of probation's dual purpose as a form of social control as well as a social work service designed to help the most vulnerable in society.

Using case records of prosecutions at the Scottish High Court of Justiciary between 1918 and 1930, this book takes a quantitative and qualitative approach to understand sexual violence in Scotland at this time. Analysing legal records alongside victim and witness testimonies, Louise Heren analyses who committed sexual violence against whom, where and how and, to an extent, looks to uncover the victims' voice. Assessing how the courts responded, Sex and Violence in 1920s Scotland reveals that, despite pejorative views of working-class female behaviour, the successful conversion of prosecutions to convictions was greater than what is seen in modern sexual assault cases. In a society adjusting to post-conflict stresses, there were fears expressed in middle-class circles that those most affected by the First World War might react with violence. However, the High Court archives suggest otherwise. Cases of incest, rape and sexual assault appears to have been endemic, an opportunistic crime against older victims yet often pre-meditated against the youngest; selfish crimes that suggest toxic masculinity among some working-class men. The book concludes with the ultimate question: why did these men perpetrate sexual violence?

Exposes the mechanisms by which conservative Christianity dominated British culture during 1945-65 and their subsequent collapse.

This book attempts to cover all the important aspects of a woman’s life in Scotland, examining how and why it changed over the last 300 years. It walks us through the day-to-day existence of Scottish women and in doing so covers areas such as family and household, education, work and politics, religion and sexuality, crime and punishment. While sensitive to the differences among women, regarding colour, class and sexuality, the book seeks to establish a close and reciprocal relationship between women’s history and gender history; the first delineating the struggles of women for parity with men in economic, legal and political spheres; the second, as means of unravelling the continuing ways in which power is unequally distributed within the home, the workplace and in institutions, and in contesting the male-centred narratives of the past.

1635, Aberdeen. A girl lies dead in a frozen garden. A young man goes missing after a drunken brawl and a sinister cloaked figure watches from the shadows . . . The missing student, son of a Highland chief, is one of Alexander Seaton's pupils. When the young man's companion turns up bruised and bloodied, suspicion mounts that he has murdered his friend. But Alexander is convinced that there's another explanation. Drawn ever deeper into the mystery, Alexander realises that the man in the shadows is known to him and that the strange events in the town are linked to his own past. A gripping historical thriller from the bestselling author of The Bookseller of Inverness. Perfect for fans of Rory Clements and S. J. Parris. *********************** What readers are saying about The Devils Recruit 'An absorbing and thrilling narrative' 5* READER REVIEW 'Excellent . . . I would thoroughly recommend this series to everybody' 5* READER REVIEW 'Loving these books!' 5* READER REVIEW 'The storytelling keeps you at the edge of your seat' 5* READER REVIEW 'Great plotting, characters and a real sense of the period' 5* READER REVIEW

Experience the story from start to finish with this complete collection of the Alexander Seaton Series from prize-winning author S. G. MacLean. Scotland, 1620s. Alexander Seaton's life is in tatters. Once a minister, he has been cast out of the kirk in disgrace after his affair with the Laird's daughter was discovered. When a body is discovered in Seaton's house and his own friend is accused of murder, Seaton decides to investigate. And so begins a new chapter of his life. Join Seaton as sets he investigates poisoners, witchcraft and murder - embarking on a journey through the darkest parts of other men's souls, as well as his own. A sleuth to rival Shardlake and Cadfael, these are the perfect novels for readers of Rory Clements and S. J. Parris. ******************* Praise for S. G. MacLean 'Transports your body and soul to another time and place' Craig Russell 'A delight on all levels . . . engaging and moving' Manda Scott 'MacLean is a terrific storyteller' Big Issue 'Truly memorable and exciting' Historical Novels Review 'Seaton is a compelling flawed yet indomitable figure' Scottish Field