The Adoption of Children Act 1926 was the first legislation enabling the legal adoption of children in England and Wales, with equivalent legislation passed in Ireland in 1929 and in Scotland in 1930. While it had general benefit, especially to … Read more
Short v Poole Corporation involved a legal challenge to the marriage bar that prevented married teachers from working in schools. The marriage bar had been re-introduced by many local authorities after the First World War with the encouragement of the … Read more
The Administration of Estates Act 1925 reformed the intestacy rules to allow women to benefit on the same terms as men. The distinction between the treatment of land (which had formerly gone to the heir-at-law) and personal property was removed, … Read more
The Widows’, Orphans’ and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act 1925 allowed some women to reduce the impact of poverty and the vagaries of the Poor Law on their lives by promising a small amount of regular, definite income. From 4 … Read more
The Guardianship of Infants Act 1925 was a significant step, both in the long march of married women towards equal rights over their children and in the recognition of the importance of the welfare of children when making decisions about … Read more
In the fifteen years following the admission of women to the legal professions in England, Wales and Scotland under the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919, three important textbooks focusing on the law as it related to women were published in … Read more
Agnes Twiston Hughes was the first Welsh woman to qualify as solicitor in Wales, to hold a practising certificate and to run a legal practice. Her quiet contribution to the opening up of the profession was made in her local … Read more
On 28 March 1919 the Law Society Council responded to the certainty of legislation requiring the bar to be lifted on women entering the legal professions with a Special Meeting to consider a motion that ended the Society’s previous opposition. … Read more
The Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to Persons Under Eighteen) Act 1923 introduced the principle that people should be aged 18 to drink alcohol in bars and pubs. Before this, a person had to be 14 years old to buy and drink … Read more
The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1922 extended legal protections for children throughout the United Kingdom in relation to sexual activity, addressing significant gaps in the 1885 Act of the same name. The earlier Act had raised the age at which … Read more