Women, Crime, and the Courts in Early Modern England / Edition 1

by Jenny Kermode, Garthine Walker

Overview

Recent years have witnessed a considerable body of published research on both crime and women in the early modern period. There have been few attempts, however, to synthesize such studies and to examine in detail the relationship between the law and women's lives. This collection of seven original essays explores that relationship by examining the nature and extent of women's criminal activity and surveying the connections between women, their legal position, and their involvement in legal processes. The words, actions, and treatment of women who came before the courts as plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses are examined here in a variety of contexts, ranging from the assertion of a variety of rights to scolding, thieving, and witchcraft. The contributors demonstrate that women were far from passive victims in a male-dominated legal system. As both breakers of the law and important agents of its enforcement, women were far more assertive than their formal legal positions would suggest. The contributors are Garthine Walker, Jenny Kermode, Laura Gowing, Martin Ingram, Jim Sharpe, Malcolm Gaskill, Geoffrey L. Hudson, and Tim Stretton.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807845004
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	02/01/1995
Edition description:	1
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Jenny Kermode is senior lecturer in local history at the University of Liverpool. Garthine Walker is lecturer in history at the University of Warwick.

Garthine Walker is lecturer in history at the University of Warwick.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A fine reassessment of the impact of legal matters on women's lives . . . that highlights very effectively the diversity of women's participation in the various stages of legal proceedings.—American Journal of Legal History



An exciting collection of highly readable essays on highly interesting subjects. The authors are distinguished and innovative historians, and their work should be widely appreciated by scholars, teachers, and students.—Judith Bennett, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Editorial Reviews

An exciting collection of highly readable essays on highly interesting subjects.

Judith Bennett, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"An exciting collection of highly readable essays on highly interesting subjects.

Judith Bennett, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"

A fine reassessment of the impact of legal matters on women's lives.

"American Journal of Legal History"

From the Publisher