About This Event

Explore Elizabeth Curdew’s life as a 19th-century repeat offender - examining crime, punishment, and how Victorian society treated women. Using microhistory, this session traces her journey through crime and punishment, exploring the social, legal, and personal factors that shaped her choices. How did the criminal justice system treat women like Elizabeth? Did gender bias influence her path? By exploring everyday lives and specific moments, Elizabeth Curdew’s life as a 19th-century repeat offender will come alive. Participants will step into the story, piecing together her experiences and trying to predict what happened across her life. This interactive exploration sheds light on the challenges women faced during the Victorian period, revealing the human stories behind historical records. About the speaker: Susanna Menis, BA Law, MSc Criminology, PhD law/Criminology, MA Historical Research, is a Lecturer in Law at Birkbeck London University, School of Law. Her research and teaching reflect an interest in law and the humanities, socio-historical and doctrinal approaches to law. She has worked with several criminal justice organisations and charities; her most recent engagement was with the Independent Monitoring Board of Prisons. She writes and publishes on the historical development of prisons; she has carried out several projects addressing legal education, criminal law doctrine within social and critical legal history. She is the author of A History of Women’s Prisons in England: The Myth of Prisoner Reformation (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020), the object of three artwork exhibitions funded by the Grants for the Arts England. What to expect: The talk will last approximately 50-60 minutes followed by Q&A. IMPORTANT: This talk will be taking place in-person only at The London Archives. About The London Archives: The London Archives is a free public archive focusing on the history of London, from 1067 to the present day. We preserve and share millions of historical manuscripts, maps, photographs, books which tell the story of the city. You can find us in central London in Clerkenwell, close to Farringdon Station - details on our Getting to The London Archives webpage (https://www.thelondonarchives.org/visit-us/getting-here). Visit our exhibition: Before or after the talk you can visit our current exhibition Londoners On Trial: Crime, Courts and the Public 1244-1924 (https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thelondonarchives.org%2Fvisit-us%2Fexhibitions%2Flondoners-on-trial&data=05%7C02%7CZoe.Nolan%40cityoflondon.gov.uk%7Cb44cb036e9874f441e6a08deb3ef3fa7%7C9fe658cdb3cd405685193222ffa96be8%7C0%7C0%7C639146037301981001%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6cWMmouBCUUljkyZs1QrwmXQC3IX0ciUaj9XRP0QV2g%3D&reserved=0), on display at The London Archives in Clerkenwell from 9 March 2026 to 25 February 2027. The exhibition is free to visit during normal opening hours, please check our website for details.

Staying overnight?

Hotels within walking distance of The London Archives.

Frequently asked questions