Product Description
The most sensational divorce case of the 19th century is the centrepiece of this story of the Mount Cashell family. In the summer of 1876,on the grounds of adultery and cruelty, Captain Richard Spread Morgan, “Lord of the Manor of Bridestown” Co. Cork sought a divorce from his wife, Lady Catherine Louisa Moore, the youngest daughter of the 3rd Earl of Mount Cashell of Moore Park House, Kilworth, Co. Cork.
The case was tried in Dublin with Catherine Louisa the only woman in a courtroom crowded with “gentlemen” and her only support was her aged father who had left his dying wife behind in Moore Park. She died the day after her daughter’s trial ended.
Some of Ireland’s most distinguished lawyers were on either side and Louisa was cross examined “with a ruthless brutality…never displayed before.” Her husband’s incredible claims were countered by some equally unbelievable from his wife.
The trial played out before a voracious public and the court heard that newspapers were being hidden from females in rural Ireland because of the graphic details outlined daily.
The story references the position of women in Ireland at the time and their second class status when it came to seeking a divorce. Among a number of other famous cases of the 19th century, the Mount Cashell case highlighted the discriminatory nature of the law where women were concerned and the case was one that further helped the slow advance women’s rights.
Terror, Tears and Tragedy is a story of taboos, family, class, money, power and religion. At times it defies belief.
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