Anonymous Letters to Married Love Author Marie Stopes (1918–1925)
After publishing Married Love (1918), Stopes received thousands of letters from women. Many discussed penis size unprompted:
>Letter (1920): “My husband is very small… I have never had the full pleasure other women speak of. Is this why?”
>Letter (1922): “I left my first husband because he was too small to satisfy. My second is large and vigorous—now I understand what marriage should be.”
>Letter (1919): “Please tell women size does matter—I suffered 10 years with a man built like a child.”
Source: Stopes’ archived correspondence, Wellcome Collection
English Divorce Court Testimony (1900–1910s)
In nullity suits (annulments for non-consummation), female plaintiffs and witnesses were required to describe the husband’s penis in open court. These were public legal records, not medical exams.
>Case: G. v. G. (1900) – The wife testified her husband’s penis was “no longer than my little finger” and “too small to effect entrance.” Two female witnesses (friends who had “inspected” it at the wife’s request) agreed it was “abnormally small” and “incapable of satisfying any woman.”
Source: Law Reports, King’s Bench Division
>Case: F. v. F. (1912) – The wife stated: “His thing is so small I can hardly feel it… I’ve never had proper satisfaction.” A midwife witness measured it at 2 inches erect and said, “I’ve seen bigger on a boy of twelve.”
Source: The Times court reports