Inspired by Markenfield's very own Caroline Norton, wear your badge with pride. Gold on black.

Poet, pamphleteer and artist's muse, Caroline Norton dazzled nineteenth-century society with her vivacity and intelligence. After her marriage in 1828 to the MP George Norton, she continued to attract friends and admirers to her salon in Westminster, which included the young Disraeli. Most prominent among her admirers was the widowed Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. Racked with jealousy, George Norton took the Prime Minister to court, suing him for damages on account of his 'Criminal Conversation' (adultery) with Caroline. A dramatic trial followed. Despite the unexpected and sensational result - acquittal - Norton legally denied Caroline access to her three children under seven, claimed her income as an author for himself, since the copyrights of a married woman belonged to her husband.

Westminster, London, 22 June 1836. Crowds are gathered at the Court of Common Pleas. On trial is Caroline Norton, a beautiful and clever young woman who had been manoeuvred into marrying a dull, violent and controlling man - the brother of 3rd Lord Grantley. Dr Diane Atkinson's seminal work on Caroline Norton laid the groundwork for all those that followed. It is the definitive story of Caroline Norton - her remarkable life, her loves and her literature.