Michael Meyer reveals how an 1877 court case revolving around birth control – and the fearless woman at the heart of it – scandalised the nation

By Ellie Cawthorne

Published: Monday, 18 March 2024 at 07:05 AM


In 1877, Annie Besant took the stand. She was on trial for selling an “obscene publication” – a pamphlet designed to educate the masses on birth control. Author Michael Meyer tells Ellie Cawthorne about how this sensational legal case lit a fire under Victorian society, and why the woman at the centre of it decided to represent herself in the courtroom.

Michael Meyer is the author of A Dirty, Filthy Book: Sex, Scandal, and One Woman’s Fight in the Victorian Trial of the Century (WH Allen, 2024)