This FREE one-day workshop showcases the results of a groundbreaking two-year interdisciplinary project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council: ‘A New Methodological Approach to the History of Divorce, 1858-1923’.
Led by Dr Jennifer Aston with Dr Diane Ranyard at Northumbria University Law School, the project offers the first large-scale, systematic examination of historical records from the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, established under the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act 1857.
Using an innovative interrelational database, the project combines detailed quantitative analysis of divorce petitions with meticulously researched case studies. This approach reveals, for the first time, a comprehensive (and sometimes surprising) history of the family court system in England and Wales, as well as stories of the women, men and children who navigated it.
Working alongside project partners The National Archives, CAFCASS and Welsh Women’s Aid, and featuring guest speakers from policy, practice, and the third sector, this workshop highlights the vital role that historical archival research can play in understanding inequalities of the past and positively shaping the future for those experiencing the breakdown of a relationship.
When: Tuesday 20th January 2026 9-5pm
Where: Virtual/Online
Who: All are welcome
The workshop will now be a fully virtual event, please register using the form below and a joining link will be sent to you.
Event Programme
One-Day Workshop: Archives to Action: Historical Evidence for Policy Reform in Marital Breakdown, Domestic Abuse, and Child Welfare
Virtual/Online
Tuesday 20 January 2026
Workshop Opens 9:00
09.20 – 10.00 – Welcome and Key Project Findings
10.00-11.00 – Session One
Fair Shares? What financial arrangements do divorcing couples make in the twenty first century?
Jenny Birchall (Fair Shares Project, University of Bristol)
Accessing Justice: Financing Divorce in England and Wales, 1858-1949
Jennifer Aston and Diane Ranyard (Northumbria University)
11.00-11.30 Break
11.30-13.00 – Session Two
Lessons from the Past: Shaping our Futures
Kate Perry-Jones (Welsh Women’s Aid)
Articulating Abuse: Evidence from the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, 1858-1914
Jennifer Aston (Northumbria University)
The Ramifications of Abolishing Marital Coercion: Convicting Our Criminally Coerced Women Defendants
Vanessa Bettison and Nicola Wake (Northumbria University)
13.00-14.00 – Lunch Break
14.00-15.30 – Session Three
Locating women’s lives at The National Archives
Jessamy Carlson (The National Archives)
Children in the Archive: Hearing Children’s Voices
Jennifer Aston (Northumbria University) & Saif Ullah (CAFCASS)
Clues in the Catalogues: Detecting Diversity in the Archives
Lizzy Baker (North East Museums)
15.30-16.00 – Break
16.00-16.45 – Open Discussion
Collaborations, Methodologies, Interdisciplinary synergies and Future events and facilitation
16.45-17.00 – Closing Remarks and End of Workshop