Observations on the Natural Claim of the Mother to the Custody of her Infant Children

Caroline Norton (1808-77), granddaughter of the playwright Sheridan, was an author and determined campaigner for law reform. Her disastrous marriage in 1827 to George Norton led her to seek escape in writing. This work, first published in 1837, was instrumental in the subsequent passing of the Custody of Infants Act (1839).