Not proven: Edinburgh’s 19th century sapphic scandal

This Pride month, join researcher Indigo Dunphy-Smith to revisit the history of a famous Edinburgh scandal that saw two Edinburgh schoolmistresses accused of lesbianism. The early 19th-century legal case ended with the uniquely Scottish verdict: not proven.

Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie, the two accused women, faced professional ruin regardless. The case reveals deep anxieties about intimacy and desire between women. It highlights what could be said - and by whom - when such relationships existed in legal ambiguity.

Two hundred years later, the case still haunts our culture. Indigo will show how its silences and contradictions have inspired interpretations from Scotland to Hollywood. In this talk, you can decide what really happened.

Indigo Dunphy-Smith (she/her) is a researcher and writer based in Edinburgh. She specialises in telling queer stories in historic places and is the author of ‘How to: Queer Your Historic House’. With over eight years in the heritage sector, she regularly delivers talks on Scotland’s queer history and co-chairs the National Trust for Scotland’s LGBTQ network.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher National Library of Scotland