A ‘great outrage on human decency’: a trial on lewdness and indecency at a Manchester music hall in 1890

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Manchester in 1890 a court case was heard in which the singer Peggy Pryde was accused of singing an obscene song at the Folly Theatre of Varieties. The case provides a detailed examination of the arguments about the nature of music hall performance. Local newspapers reported the case in detail and this provides unparalleled evidence about the attitude of the authorities to specific performances, the nature of censorship and definitions of obscenity at this time.