Josephine Grey was born on April 13, 1828, in Millfield, Northumberland. She was the 7th of 9 surviving children of John Grey and his wife, Hannah Annett. John Grey was an agricultural reformer, a leading English Liberal on the English-Scottish border. He was a relative and confidante of Lord Grey, the Whig Prime Minister (1830-34), who helped secure the passage of the 1st Reform Bill. John Grey's family were members of the Church of England and strong supporters of the anti-slavery campaign. The Grey children learned about the horrors of slavery early on and Josephine's first feminist inclinations were aroused by the terrible stories of female slaves, impregnated by their masters and then forced to give their babies up. The girls were home-schooled by their mother and Josephine only had a few years of formal schooling. Despite this, she was a prolific writer, publishing books and pamphlets and became fluent in Italian and French.
Josephine's childhood was very happy. The Greys lived in a large home in the countryside and John and Hannah were doting parents, who gave their children plenty of freedom. They had many pets including, dogs and ponies and the children became proficient riders. Music was an encouraged pastime; Josephine proved to be a particularly gifted pianist. The Grey siblings also remained close throughout their lives, even when marriage took two of the sisters abroad. Their political and Christian commitments inspired them to get involved in a series of philanthropic campaigns, Josephine being the most persistent and dedicated of them all.
In June 1850, at age 22, Josephine met George Butler, a classics lecturer at Durham University, in the neighboring county. George was the son of the Dean of Peterborough, he was reluctant to be ordained into the Church of England, instead he hoped to have an academic career at Oxford. In autumn 1850, George was appointed, Public Examiner and moved to Oxford. At this point, George & Josephine were regularly writing each other letters, George sent love poems, which Josephine initially rebuffed. However, one thing that attracted Josephine was George's status as a teacher- she longed for a higher education and George offered her guidance, by way of advanced reading. He was also mature, 9 years Josephine's senior. George and Josephine had a mutually happy relationship, within which she could pursue her own ambitions.
George viewed her as an equal, which needless to say, was not commonplace at the time. A letter he wrote to her during their engagement proposed, "a perfectly equal union, with absolute freedom on both sides for personal initiative in thought and action". Josephine and George married in January 1852 and their first son, George-Grey Butler was born in November. Josephine found life, amongst mostly unmarried scholars in Oxford, very difficult and felt the valley forming between them during the discussion of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, Ruth, about an unwed mother. The men argued that Ruth was by far more guilty and immoral, than the father of the child- a stance that Josephine herself couldn't take. This was the double standard of Victorian Britain- women were often blamed for the actions of men.
George was never appointed to a lectureship at Oxford and opted for ordination in 1854. Josephine's health also declined while in Oxford, which had damp and polluted air; her lungs had been weak since, she suffered a serious illness, in her teens. The family was forced to move and George secured a position as vice-principal at Cheltenham College, a boys college, the position suited him perfectly. George and Josephine had two more sons, Stanley and Charlie and a daughter, Eva. Tragedy struck in 1864, when Eva was killed in a fall from the top floor landing, of their Cheltenham home. Both Josephine and George were understandably devastated. While still grieving, they moved to Liverpool, where Josephine started a ministry for imprisoned women of the "Bridewell", in Liverpool Workhouse. The void left behind by her daughter's death was filled by the needs of the women, the lowest of the low, who begged her for help. She instinctively opened her home to those who suffered most, nursing them there. Most of the women at Bridewell were prostitutes, who Josephine wanted to provide a better source of income for.
This was a turning point for Josephine, who was empowered by a immense conviction; she believed women at all levels of society should be treated with utmost respect. Josephine became President of the North of England Council for the Higher Education of Women and helped establish the 1st university level lectures about these issues, in northern England. She was also involved in campaigns, to make marriage laws fairer.
From 1869 onward, Josephine's life was dedicated to the women's campaign to repeal the Contagious Diseases Acts. These acts of 1864, 1866 & 1869, allowed police to question women who were suspected of prostitution, in 14 naval and military towns & examine them for sexually-transmitted diseases. Threatening them with imprisonment if they refused and detaining them in certified hospitals, if they were found to be ill. Josephine saw this as the latest example of society's double standard and the infringement on women's rights: as any woman could be questioned and forcibly examined, against her will.
In 1869, Josephine agreed to become the Secretary of the Ladies National Association for Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, though at great cost to her family life, health & reputation; since Victorian decorum, said that respectable women shouldn't talk about such taboo subjects publicly. Undaunted, she began a campaign of pamphlet & letter-writing, parliamentary lobbying & public speaking, that lasted until the acts were repealed in 1886. And though she had a loyal group of followers, her campaign did also face much hostility. Josephine also presented evidence at a Royal Commission, she the only woman to do so.
Josephine worked tirelessly against the prejudiced double-standards, her efforts going beyond the Contagious Diseases Acts. She had many contacts throughout Europe, mostly through her sister, Hatty, who had married a Swiss banker, based in Italy. Starting in 1874, Josephine traveled regularly to the mainland, especially Paris, Geneva & Brussels; insisting she be allowed to inspect brothels & question the actions of police in charge of enforcing regulations.
In 1885, Josephine got involved with W.T Stead's campaign against child prostitution in London. She contributed by exposing how easy it was to purchase "a child for sale", Stead was arrested but the headlines of the case, publicized the issue, which is just what Josephine and Stead had wanted. At the time the age of consent was 13, but within a few weeks parliament voted to increase it to 16.
During all of her campaigns, Josephine was supported by her husband, George, though he was heckled and ridiculed for his support of his outspoken wife. When he retired from Liverpool College, George and Josephine moved to Winchester. George died after a long illness and Josephine grieved for the 16 years of her widowhood. She even published a biography on her husband, Recollections of George Butler, which also gave insight into her own life. She never settled down again after her husband's death, living her with her sons and traveling on the continent; she also wrote more than ever, including one piece against the Contagious Diseases Acts in India. Josephine Butler died on December 30, 1906, in Wooler, Northumberland, only a few miles from her birthplace. She is buried at the local church, St. Gregory's.
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We Won't Stay Silent
Non-Fiction"We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational and so disciplined they can be free" ...
