The Notorious Mrs McCance

A 19th-century cartoon of a drunken woman on the street, from the Wellcome Collection

I’ve been busy sharing details about a new project this week. The focus of this project? The life of notorious Belfast woman Jane McCance. Jane appeared in court over 100 times in the middle of the 19th century, her crimes wide and varied. I’ve been compiling all these appearances to try and understand what drove Jane. Did she really commit these crimes? Was she a victim of circumstance? Was she truly what the Victorians would have called a “fallen woman”?

Listen below to my interview on BBC Radio Ulster Talkback about the background to this fascinating woman.

One of many court appearances for Jane in June 1857, reported by the Belfast Newsletter