Shame and Modernity in Britain

Shame and Modernity in Britain

Anne-Marie Kilday David S. Nash Shame and Modernity in Britain 1890 to the Present

Anne-Marie Kilday Department of History, Philosophy and Religion Oxford Brookes University Oxford, UK David S. Nash Department of History, Philosophy and Religion Oxford Brookes University Oxford, UK ISBN 978-0-230-35933-8 ISBN 978-1-137-31919-7 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-31919-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016958282 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover image: The Show Must Go On. Juan Gris in L Assiette au Beurre 13 November 1909. Courtesy of Mary Evans PictureLibrary. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom

To Michael John Meadows (1934 2015) A man who loved history

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the numerous people who have helped in the writing of this book. Firstly, we would like to express our thanks to staff at the British Library, the Bodleian Library, the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Palace Library, Leeds University Library, London Metropolitan Archives, the Metropolitan Police Archives, the National Archives, the National Archives of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the National Library of Wales, for their patience and helpful advice. We would also like to thank Daniel Vicars, Carmen Bonnell and Melanie Reynolds for the research work that they carried out in relation to some of the chapters of this volume. We are very grateful to Palgrave publishing, who have helped us with the production of this book. Particular thanks go to Jenny McCall, Ruth Ireland, Holly Tyler, Jade Moulds and Peter Carey. We would also like to thank our anonymous reviewers for their helpful and important contributions. Finally we would also like to thank family, friends and colleagues for their advice and support during the writing of this book. vii

Contents 1 Introduction: The Endurance of Shame and its Transformation in Modern Britain 1 2 White Feathers and Black Looks: Cowardice, Conscientious Objection and Shame in the Great War 21 3 This Tribune of the People, this Uncrowned King of Britain : Horatio Bottomley Shame, the Public Sphere and the Betrayal of Populism 63 4 The Rector of Stiffkey: The lower he sinks, the greater their crime : Clerical Scandal, Prurience and the Archaeology of Reputation 89 5 The Silent Scream of Shame? Abortion in Modern Britain 115 6 Modern Charivari or Merely Private Peccadillo? Lord Lambton and the Archetypal Sex Scandal 169 7 Lady Isobel Barnett: Shoplifting and Sympathy The Last Gasp of Presumptive Shame? 215 ix

x CONTENTS 8 From Blackmail and the Closet to Pride and Shame: Homosexuality and Identity The Military Example 243 9 Conclusion 275 Bibliography 287 Index 313

List of Figures Fig. 2.1 First World War army recruitment poster, 1915 (Imperial War Museum, Art. IWM PST 4903) 26 Fig. 2.2 The White Feather, Union Jack, 26 December 1914 28 Fig. 2.3 The Mysterious Scotsman postcard, sent in Edinburgh to an Edinburgh address on 12 October 1916 (from Picture Postcards from the Great War: http://www.worldwar1postcards.com, Fig. 2.4 accessed 1 January 2016) 28 The Conscientious Objector at the Front was a postcard and subsequently a poster, undated but likely to have been produced in October 1916 (accessed from Picture Postcards from the Great War: http://www.worldwar1postcards.com, accessed 1 January 2016) 34 Fig. 2.5 Photograph of Howard Cruttenden Marten, 1917 (Leeds University Library, GB 0206, Liddle Collection: Howard Marten Papers, CO 061) 36 Fig. 2.6 Sketch produced as part of correspondence providing detailed description of Field Punishment No. 1, 1916 (National Archives, War Office Papers, David Lloyd George, letter to French Minister, 21 November 1916, WO 32/5460) 38 Fig. 5.1 Reported abortions in the UK, 1930 2010 131 Fig. 5.2 Reported abortions in Scotland, England and Wales, 1958 2011 131 xi

xii List of Figures Fig. 5.3 Abortion rate in Britain, 1968 89 132 Fig. 6.1 Photograph of Lord Lambton, The Times, 1973 (reproduced with kind permission of the National Portrait Gallery) 176