Story: Domestic violence

Mary Muller

Mary Muller

Mary Muller, now regarded as New Zealand's pioneer suffragist, arrived in the colony in 1850 with her two children, leaving a violent husband behind in England. The drastic step of fleeing far away was one of the few options available to 19th-century victims of domestic violence. Muller's personal experience led her to advocate votes for women, and to push for legal change to enable married women to retain control of their property. Before she died in 1901, she saw both goals achieved.

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Marlborough Historical Society, Marlborough Museum & Archives
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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Domestic violence - Domestic violence in the 19th century', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/28285/mary-muller (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 19 Jul 2018