A history of English sexual morals / by Ivan Bloch ; translated by William H. Forstern.

  • Iwan Bloch
Date:
1936
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A history of English sexual morals / by Ivan Bloch ; translated by William H. Forstern. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    83/700 (page 53)
    virgin1. She was obliged, however, by a law of Canute to remain unmarried for at least twelve months after the death of her first husband. If she married within that period, she was obliged to hand over the fortune of her first husband to his next of kin. This was made law by Henry I. Every guest at the wedding gave the bridal pair a present. The mundbora conducted the daughter to the bridegroom with the words: ' I give thee my daughter, to be thy honour, and thy wife, to keep thy keeps, and to share with thee thy bed and goods.' Then the priest gave his blessing to this marriage by purchase. On the morning after the wedding the bridegroom, before he got out of bed, gave his wife a valuable gift, the ' morgaen-gife ', which remained her special property2. When Christianity reached England marriage by purchase had already become general and the various marriage laws applied directly to this institution. But a law of King Ethelbert enacted that a young husband might return his wife to her father and demand the repayment of the money he had given for her3, if he found her on closer inspection in a different condition from that which the seller had admitted. On the other hand, by a subsequent law, the man who did not marry a woman he had bought was obliged to forfeit the wedding price and to pay a fine as well4. Whoever had intercourse with a virgin was obliged to buy and marry her; or in the event of the father not agreeing to the marriage, at any rate pay her value in money. (Law of King Alfred.) If a free man dishonoured the wife of a free man, he was forced to pay the full 4 weregeld ' and also to 1 There were four grades of widow. First were worth 50s., second 20s., third 12s., fourth Gs. So a poor man was often in a position to purchase a widow when he could not afford a virgin. Merryweather, loc. cit., p. 192. 2 Merryweather, loc. cit., pp. 192-194. 3 Jeaffrcson, loc. cit., Vol. I, p. 55. 4 Thomas Wright, Domestic Manners in England during the Middle Ages. London, 1862. P. 55. [53]