Caroline Derry

@carolinederry

Gender, sexuality & criminal law/history. Early women barristers. Agatha Christie. Professor of Feminism, Law & History, The Open University. 📚 Legal Temporalities of Sexual Consent (2025) 📚 Lesbianism and the Criminal Law (2020) #ActuallyAutistic

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Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Jul 3

I visited @leedsmuseums.bsky.social especially to meet this magnificent Roman, er, wolf. (The rest of of the City Museum is also worth a visit.)

A Roman mosaic in brown and cream tones, depicting tiny baby twins Romulus and Remus beneath a very strange "wolf" with a horse-like body, googly eyes, and a giant smile.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Mar 12

Tonight, the Friends of the Women's Library @fotwl.bsky.social were also there, along with archives including @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy @thelondonarchives.bsky.social @tharchives.bsky.social And there's a brilliant exhibition zine!

A zine cover with a purple monochrome photo and orange images and text: 'The Women's Library at 100: Celebrating a Century of Collections'

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Mar 12

A lovely evening at @lselibrary.bsky.social celebrating their Women's Library at 100 exhibition - including the section @drcisme.bsky.social and I curated.

Screen with the exhibition details: The Women's Library at 100: Celebrating a Century of Collections. 2 March to 30 September.

Illustrative photo of a display of documents and a board titled
'1885: Scandal and the Age of Consent
Claire Cunnington and Caroline Derry'

Another photo of the display, including printed and handwritten material and a glimpse of an illustrated article in a magazine.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Mar 7

I may get all my pictures from here.

On youraislopbores.me a user has responded to my prompt "A rabbit eating a carrot" with a drawing which may possibly be a rabbit's head with a wobbly carrot.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 21

Thread by Alec Dawson:
Frenz, please don't tell at me, but in Mexico City the claim resonates differently. For more than two decades infrastructure projects in the city have worked to erase working people and the poor from gentrification areas.
Local anger over SEMOVI's projects speaks to a sense of displacement, and not the suburban rage of US and Canadian cities. There is that too (eg Santa Fé) but the reason working people often oppose these projects is because they make their lives more difficult.
The irony is that historically most cyclists on the city are working class, but these projects don't serve them. All of this has been made worse bo the influx of remote workers in planes like Roma and Condesa, foreigners who love to cycle. I'm just saying this is more complicated than it looks.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

Some rejected such hierarchies altogether. Feminists and former suffragettes Alison Neilans and Madge Turner not only called themselves joint occupiers but even listed the same occupation - although officially, Neilans was Turner's boss. (5/6)

Monochrome photo of Alison Neilans issued by the Women's Freedom League with the slogan 'votes for women'.
(LSE Library)

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

Others refused to follow the rules, describing *joint* relationships. Una Troubridge recorded herself and Radclyffe Hall as joint heads. (4/6)

Monochrome photograph of Troubridge and Hall, each holding a dog.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

Some relationships were silenced. Edith Craig called herself head but left blank the relationship of her 'female' lovers Christopher St John and Clare 'Tony' Atwood to her. (3/6)

Monochrome photograph of Edith Craig, looking serious and wearing a dark jacket with frilled white shirt.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

Some people followed the form's demands. Gluck ('no prefix, suffix or quotes') recorded themself and partner Craig as Hannah Gluckstein, head, and Effie Mary Craig, boarder. (2/6)

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

But some partners found another way to record their families - as a *joint* relationship. Una Troubridge described herself and Radclyffe Hall as 'joint heads of household'. That creates an important record of their relationship, but there were even more radical approaches... (4/6)

Photograph of Una Troubridge and Radclyffe Hall, each holding a dog.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

Another approach was to say nothing. Lovers Edith Craig, Christopher St John and Clare 'Tony' Atwood, all 'female', listed Craig as 'head' but left St John and Atwood's relationships blank. (3/6)

Black-and-white photograph of Edith Craig, who has a serious expression and wears a black jacket with a frilled white shirt.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Feb 2

The census demanded everyone be recorded as 'male' or 'female' with their relationship to the 'head' (assumed to be the husband/father). Some complied. Gluck ('no prefix, suffix or quotes') and their partner Craig appear as ‘Hannah Gluckstein’, ‘Head’ and ‘Effie Mary Craig’, ‘Boarder’ (2/6)

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Jan 16

It's published! Histories of women legal historians, edited with @loreldridge.bsky.social and @dremilyireland.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/celebrati...

Copies of Celebrating Women in Legal History, edited by Lorren Eldridge, Emily Ireland and Caroline Derry. The blue and purple cover shows a door opening onto bookshelves.

Table of contents, showing chapters by Jennifer Aston, Christine Anne George, Anne Logan, Lisa Cowan, Nina Krsljanin, and Valentina Cvetkovic-Dordevic.

Table of contents, showing chapters by Maria Fletcher, Charlie Peevers, Seonaid Stevenson-McCabe, and Deborah Siddoway.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Dec 31

Can't believe I published 3 books this year. - yes, I'm exhausted! - no, I'll never do that again. - above all, I'm hugely grateful to my co- authors, collaborators, contributors, editors, reviewers... No one creates a book alone!

Collage of three book covers: Legal Temporalities of Sexual Consent by me, Legal History in the Curriculum edited by me and Carol Howells, Complete Criminal Law by Janet Loveless, Mischa Allen and me.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Dec 29

I took my parents to see Witness for the Prosecution, which was great ... right up until the discussion of the victim as an "old lady" in her mid-50s 😭 #AgathaChristie

Interior of County Hall Council chamber, now the set of Witness for the Prosecution: an imposing room with a large horseshoe of seating, wood panelling, columns and high ceiling.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Dec 27

And my history one - consulted in the local reference library. (Where I spent many happy hours while everyone else was shopping.)

Cover of a facsimile of the illustrated catalogue of the Great Exhibition of 1851

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Dec 27

My legal origin story

The cover of Rumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 25

I took the coward's way out and made a cup of Earl Grey. Both I and the kitchen survive!

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 23

To the surprise of no one who knows me, A Murder Is Announced

A collage of various covers of Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 22

Visiting my sister so I can renew my #ProofOfCat (Yes, he's giving me side-eye in his sleep!)

A black cat, curled in a circle with big gangly legs tangled together. He is apparently sleeping, but a sliver of eye is just visible.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 18

I had such a good morning yesterday, talking about Deptford's criminal law history to the local history group at Mycenae House. Including the first murder conviction based on fingerprint evidence and the leading case on gross negligence manslaughter.

A large red brick building with tall sash windows, a stone door frame, and a row of dormer windows in the roof.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 4

I had a lovely and very informative time at History Day at @ihr.bsky.social and came home with brochures, books and badges - this one may be my favourite.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 1

V generous offer, but I think I'll pass!

Supermarket shelf label saying Sainsbury's vegetable spring rolls are £3, "Buy 2 for £6.50".

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Nov 1

A little quantum physics on my way to London Month of the Dead, at Guy's Hospital (now a KCL campus).

Photo of an artwork featuring rings of coloured lights, illustrating quantum physics principles.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Oct 30

Exciting day - I got to meet @drcisme.bsky.social in person and deliver a workshop with her at @lselibrary.bsky.social

Photo of me standing in front of a PowerPoint projection, speaking with a microphone, while Claire is seated next to me.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Oct 26

At the Metropolitan Police Museum gallery yesterday, I learned about the Great Pearl Robbery of 1913. The stuff of detective fiction: a fake office! A famous necklace! Wax seals and sugar lumps! The King of Fences! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_P...

Photo of three small wooden cylinders, rack with M.M. carved on one end and traces of red wax. As a typed label explains, these were used in the Great Pearl Robbery: a parcel containing the necklace was intercepted in the post, the necklace was replaced by sugar, and the parcel was resealed with fake wax seals using these cylinders.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Sep 4

Having a lovely time at the SLS Conference - my last one co- convening the Legal History stream! And enjoying seeing my books here ☺️

Edinburgh University Press book display with Legal Temporalities of Sexual Consent in the foreground

Routledge book display with Legal History in the Curriculum in the foreground.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Aug 27

Excited to invite you to the launch of Legal History in the Curriculum: Comparative Perspectives, Critical Approaches and Future Directions. Hear from contributors on how and why to teach it, and its subversive potential! 6pm, Monday 8 Sept, online. Booking: forms.office.com/e/VFgwKs9iHM

Image of the book cover, which has a patterned green background and a white band with black text.

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Jul 30

Correction - discount code is 25SME3

Image containing the correct code for 20% off: 25SME3

Caroline Derry@carolinederry· Jul 30

Very happy to get a book parcel! Legal History in the Curriculum is published - 20% off with code 2SESE3 This was a joy to edit, thanks to the fantastic contributors. They make a compelling case for including legal history in our teaching - and ideas for how to do it. #LegalHistory