The Spinning House

The untold story of how Cambridge University locked up women in their prison – and how the town fought to free them, new in paperback. Cambridge University is renowned worldwide for its academic prowess, but below the surface lurks a murky past. During the nineteenth century, the university became infamous for its dogged determination to cling to ancient laws allowing it to arrest and imprison unchaperoned women found walking the streets of Cambridge after dark. Mistakes were made. Violence and legal action followed until finally an Act of Parliament put an end to the university’s jurisdiction over the women of Cambridge. AUTHOR: Caroline Biggs has lived all her life in Cambridge. She was an active Trustee of The Museum of Cambridge, where she founded a history festival to redress the massive imbalance between the historical knowledge about the ‘town’ as opposed to the ‘gown’. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Biography and Creative Non-Fiction from UEA. She has previously researched and written several booklets about the history of Cambridge. 12 b/w illustrations

Author Biography

CAROLINE BIGGS has lived all her life in Cambridge. She was an active Trustee of The Museum of Cambridge, where she founded a history festival to redress the massive imbalance between the historical knowledge about the ‘town’ as opposed to the ‘gown’. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Biography and Creative Non-Fiction from UEA. She has previously researched and written several booklets about the history of Cambridge.