ABSTRACT
The polemics of the Knowlton trial produced several bitter pamphlets from Mrs Besant. Frank Besant had taken the somewhat unusual course of, in effect, trying to kidnap Mabel while she was on her annual visit to him. Mrs Besant had to threaten a writ of habeas corpus before the little girl was returned. Mrs Besant, according to The Times, “argued that no case was made out for the removal of the child. She quite admitted her views on religious subjects, but she had never taught those views to the child. She thought that a child should be brought up without any particular religious belief, so that when old enough it could select such religion as it thought fit. The Master of the Rolls admitted the last contention, but on every other point he dismissed Mrs Besant’s argument. Mrs Besant custody of Mabel and upheld so far as it prevented Mrs Besant from bringing any action against her husband.
