Petition from 150 years ago notes new noun: 'wife-beating'

COAG in the news for communique on reducing violence against women yesterday ... and coincidentally came across this while researching next book.... from a parliamentary petition of 150 years ago.

 'That newspapers constantly detail instances of marital oppression, “wife-beating,” being a new compound noun lately introduced into the English language, and a crime against which English gentlemen have lately enacted stringent regulations'

 Read the full petition from 'The Carlyle Letters' HERE