Written by Lillian Faderman, Scotch Verdict is the true story of two schoolmistresses in Edinburgh 1811, and their suit for libel against a damning allegation. Accused of having sex together, and witnessed by a student, the allegations would ultimately destroy their livelihood as well as their reputations.
But I am interested in the dishonest women within this story – the only difficulty being, it’s not exactly clear who - or even if - there is a dishonest woman involved. There is the student who claims the schoolmistresses engaged in sexual acts while sharing her bed. But perhaps her claims were more due to a vivid imagination than fact? Especially in the 19th century, it was not unusual for female friends to share a bed or be overly affectionate. And her claims seem almost unbelievable – more from the pages of an elicit pornographic novel of the time than a respectable Christian woman.
As for the schoolmistresses, rather than leaving Edinburgh to avoid the shame that would ensue from such allegations, they chose to sue for libel. On first consideration, it doesn’t seem the actions of a guilty party, but then the situation is not straightforward. It seems the women were lovers. Although it seems unlikely, by our 21st century standards, for two women to take such a risk of being discovered, but perhaps in the 19th century it would have seemed very different.
All of this had me thinking about dishonesty. If the young girl truly believed that the women were engaged in a sexual act while lying next to her, even if misguided by confused or naive ideas - perhaps she did build upon her suspicions in a hope to leave the school – but is she dishonest to tell her grandmother of such a deed? The grandmother’s concern is understandable, however her action to remove the child and inform other parents, without confirming the facts first, is not. And the schoolmistresses, is it dishonest to conceal something so inherent in their nature, but so unacceptable in their society? Did they really have much choice?
