The Strange Period in England When Men Sell Their Wives in the Market

Normally, we are more or less familiar with many cultures of other countries, even if they seem strange to us. However, this history of England is actually history that we can call dark It hits us in the face. dominated by wars Leaving aside the past order, this tradition would normally never be expected from England, It almost resembles the traditions of 3rd world countries.

So what is the reason behind this tradition? “Did the women have consent? Or couldn’t any other method have been used?” The answers to questions such as “are available in the content we will explain now:

One of the first reasons why this tradition was implemented was the cost and complexity of divorce at that time.

Due to the cost and complexity of divorce, The lower class who wanted to end their marriages in the 1750s He preferred spousal sales rather than a formal divorce process. This interesting solution is frequently seen in society and is a kind of fake divorce It was considered as.

Normally, in order to get a divorce, There was no obstacle in front of them However, sometimes divorce is expensive and takes a long time. It was challenging for both parties. Spousal sales emerged to bypass these legal hurdles and provide a divorce alternative within society.

Even though it’s not technically legal; spousal sales, where the seller’s ex-spouse He gave up all his property By showing this, he was providing a kind of fake divorce. All assets are important here because at that time in England everything a woman has It belonged to her husband.

The husband would take his wife to public places such as markets or fairs, tie her with a rope/ribbon, and then display her.

Here, he shows the audience that his ex-wife generally positive features After explaining it, he would put it up for auction. Sometimes the husband would even publicly announce that his wife would be sold before taking her to the auction to keep interest high. And so to speak, almost a like a farm animal was put up for sale.

However, it must be said that there is mostly consent from both parties. Although these separations, which are generally consensual, are unethical today, they were not acceptable for both parties at that time. It was a win-win situation. So how exactly can it be win-win?

Because sometimes the woman who cheated on her husband was bought by her lover for a nominal amount.

Sometimes the women’s family often buys the woman just to prevent her from being bought by someone else. They were securing it. In this way, they did not go to someone else and also got divorced.

We seem to hear you asking how the state could not intervene in this, in fact, no matter how much the state tried to intervene in this situation, the people who tried to prevent this situation at that time were not able to do so. people are stoning and he was firing.

Therefore most government officials They were starting to ignore this situation, and who knows, they might even have done it themselves. Because this situation is exactly was not inspected Or it could be said that they did not want to be audited.

How exactly did this tradition work? Let’s read these sentences from the mouth of the man who sold his wife:

“Gentlemen, I bring to your attention my wife, Mary Anne Thomson, alias Williams, whom I wish to sell to the highest bidder. Gentlemen, it is her wish as well as my own to be separated forever. She is mine It is a snake that I feed in my bosom. I bought it for comfort, but it’s trouble for me happened. Gentlemen, God save us from troublesome wives and fun-loving women. I’ll talk about his good points… He can read novels and milk cows; can make butter, make rum, whiskey or gin. That’s why it 50 shillings “I’m selling.”

In every period of history women are exposed to Unfortunately, many kinds of events even in the most developed countries It hits us in the face. State indifference aside just like a farm animal In our opinion, the sale of women is one of the most shameful events in history. Don’t forget to express your thoughts in the comments.

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