Women's Legal Landmarks

Erika Rackley is a Professor of Law at the University of Kent.Rosemary Auchmuty is a Professor of Law at the University of Reading.

The scale of this undertaking is truly remarkable and the editors are to be credited for making a success of such an ambitious project … Although these landmarks are all particular to their own time and place, they speak clearly to contemporary problems with and within law … They show how ruling on, arguing with, and thinking about law, all need to be transformed if meaningful change is to occur, but so too does the very framework within which these activities take place. This excellent contribution to legal scholarship will provide readers of all kinds with the intellectual tools, and impetus for action, that are necessary to engage in these difficult but vital tasks.

• 1. Women’s Legal Landmarks: An Introduction Erika Rackley and Rosemary AuchmutyTHE LANDMARKS2. Cyfraith Hywel (The Laws of Hywel Dda), c. 940 Carol Howells3. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft , 1792 Anna Jobe4. Gaols Act 1823 Ruth Lamont5. The Slave, Grace (1827) Rosemary Auchmuty6. A Brief Summary of the Most Important Laws Concerning Women, Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, 1854 Joanne Conaghan7. Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 Penelope Russell8. Married Women’s Property Act 1882 Andy Hayward9. First Woman Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Helen Taylor, 1885 Janet Smith10. Section 5(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 Lois Bibbings11. Match Women’s Strike, 1888 Jacqueline Lane12. R v Jackson (1891) Teresa Sutton13. A Pageant of Great Women, Cicely Hamilton, 1909–12 Katharine Cockin14. Representation of the People Act 1918 Mari Takayanagi15. Maternity and Child Welfare Act 1918 Hazel Biggs16. Article 7 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 1919 Aoife O’Donoghue17. Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 Mari Takayanagi18. First Women Justices of the Peace, 1919 Anne Logan19. First Woman to be Admitted to an Inn of Court, Helena Normanton, 1919 Judith Bourne20. Committee on the Employment of Women on Police Duties, 1920 Colin R Moore21. First Woman Law Agent, Madge Easton Anderson, 1920Alison Lindsay22. Foundation of the Association of Women Solicitors, 1921 Elizabeth Cruickshank23. First Woman to Practise as a Barrister in Ireland and the (then) United Kingdom, Averil Deverell, 1921 Liz Goldthorpe24. First Woman Solicitor in England and Wales, Carrie Morrison, 1922Elizabeth Cruickshank25. Matrimonial Causes Act 1923 Penelope Russell26. First Woman Member of the Faculty of Advocates, Margaret Kidd, 1923 Catriona Cairns27. First Woman Professor of Law in Ireland, Frances Moran, 1925 Emma Hutchinson28. DPP v Jonathan Cape and Leopold Hill (1928) Caroline Derry29. Edwards v Attorney General of Canada (1929) Sarah Mercer30. Education Act 1944 Harriet Samuels31. Family Allowances Act 1945 Lucy Vickers32. British Nationality Act 1948 Helen Kay and Rose Pipes33. Married Women (Restraint Upon Anticipation) Act 1949 Rosemary Auchmuty34. Life Peerages Act 1958 Supuni Perera35. First Woman to Hold Regular Judicial Office in England and Wales, Rose Heilbron, 1964 Laura Lammasniemi36. Married Women’s Property Act 1964 Sharon Thompson37. First Woman High Court Judge in England and Wales, Elizabeth Lane, 1965 Judith Bourne and Frances Burton38. Abortion Act 1967 Nicky Priaulx and Natalie L Jones39. National Health Service (Family Planning) Act 1967 Leonora Onaran40. Dagenham Car Plant Strike, 1968 Dawn Watkins41. First Woman Professor of Law in the UK, Claire Palley, 1970 Fiona Cownie42. First Women’s Refuge, 1971 Felicity Kaganas43. Section 25 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972 Anne Logan44. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Anne Morris45. First Rape Crisis Centre, 1976 Alison Diduck46. Section 4 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1976 Clare McGlynn and Julia Downes47. Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 Laura Binger and Helen Carr48. Davis v Johnson (1978) Susan Edwards49. Health (Family Planning) Act 1979Máiréad Enright50. Williams & Glyn’s Bank v Boland (1980) Rosemary Auchmuty51. Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, 1981–2000 Elizabeth Woodcraft52. Gill and Coote v El Vino Co Ltd (1982) Anne Morris53. Women and the Law, Susan Atkins and Brenda Hoggett, 1984 Brenda Hale and Susan Atkins54. Warnock Report, 1984 Kirsty Horsey55. Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985 Phyllis Livaha56. Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority (1985) Emma Nottingham57. Grant v Edwards (1986) Joanne Beswick58. Section 32 of the Finance Act 1998 Ann Mumford59. First Woman Court of Appeal Judge in England and Wales, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, 1988 Dana Denis-Smith60. Section 5 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 Susan Leahy61. First Woman President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, 1990 Leah Treanor62. Foundation of the Association of Women Barristers, 1991 Frances Burton63. R v Ahluwalia (1993) Siobhan Weare64. Feminist Legal Studies Journal, 1993 Rosemary Hunter65. Barclays Bank v O’Brien (1993) Sarah Greer66. Webb v EMO Air Cargo (UK) Ltd (No 2) (1994) Debra Morris67. First Woman to Lead a Top 10 Law Firm in England and Wales, Lesley MacDonagh, 1995 Steven Vaughan68. Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1995 Laura Cahillane69. St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust v S (1998) Kay Lalor, Anne Morris and Annapurna Waughray70. Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Sonia Kalsi71. Islam v Secretary of State for the Home Department, R v Immigration Appeal Tribunal and Another, ex parte Shah (1999) Nora Honkala72. White v White (2000) Jonathan Herring73. Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 Susan Atkins74. Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 Nikki Godden-Rasul75. National Assembly for Wales Election, 2003 Catrin Fflûr Huws76. Mental Capacity Act 2005 Rosie Harding77. UK Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (OP-CEDAW), 2005 Meghan Campbell78. Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 Pragna Patel79. First Woman Attorney General for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Patricia Scotland, 2007 Linda Mulcahy80. Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 F Vera-Gray81. Radmacher v Granatino (2010) Marie Parker82. Concluding Observations of the UN Committee against Torture, Recommendation to Ireland Regarding the Magdalene Laundries, 2011 Maeve O’Rourke83. Birmingham City Council v Abdulla (2012) Harini Iyengar84. Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Act 2012 Ivana Bacik85. Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 Fiona de Londras86. R v Nimmo and Sorley (2014) Kim Barker87. Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure 2014 and Canon C2 ‘Of the Consecration of Bishops’, 2014 Miranda Threlfall-Holmes88. In the Matter of an Application for Judicial Review by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (2015) Marie Fox and Sheelagh McGuinness89. Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 Olga Jurasz90. Section 2 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 Erika Rackley91. First Woman President of the UK Supreme Court, Brenda Hale, 2017Erika Rackley92. Thirty-sixth Amendment to the Irish Constitution, 2018Fiona de Londras