A

AB A post-nominal abbreviation of the Latin phrase Artium Baccalaureus which signifies that its possessor is a Bachelor of Arts (BA). See also: AM.

abortion Illegal in Britain under the provisions of the 1803 Malicious Shooting Act (43 Geo. 3 c. 58), the essentially Christian prohibition of abortion was further enhanced by the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act (24 & 25 Vict. c. 100). This latter criminalised the procuring or administration of drugs or instruments by which a pregnancy might be terminated. Despite this legislation, chemical abortifacients – often termed ‘female pills’ – could be easily obtained from dispensing chemists or through newspaper advertisements, and midwives often administered illegal physical terminations at home.

absentee landlords Non-resident landowners who employ a factor or agent to collect rent on their behalf. In Irish context, the landowners were often Protestant, the tenants Roman Catholic, and disputes over the relative cost of tenancy and availability of land inflected with sectarian hostility. In Ireland, the perceived excesses of landlordism led to the establishment of an active Land League from 1879, and to local rent strikes, boycotts and, on occasion, arson or violence.

absinthe A psychoactive and alcoholic drink associated with decadence and the fin-de-siècle cult of the aesthete. Though popular with all social classes in France, absinthe never eclipsed gin as a demotic drink in late-Victorian Britain.

accouchement A term used in both medical discourse and polite company to signify the period in which a woman is customarily ‘confined’ in order to give birth.

Adullamites An anti-Reform faction within the Liberal Party, active between 1866 and 1867, and opposed to any further widening of the elective franchise. The name alludes to the Cave of Adullam in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 22).

adulteration The deliberate contamination and bulking of foodstuffs, usually undertaken in order to enhance the profit of the vendor. Milk was often diluted with water (thus potentially exposing the drinker to the cholera morbus), flour compromised with alum or chalk, copper or arsenic added to pickles to enhance colour, and lead incorporated as a sweetener in wine and port. Contamination was also latent in the processing of many liquids, as sheet lead was frequently utilised to line fermenting or storage containers.