The Violent Abuse of Women: In 17th and 18th Century Britain

by Geoffrey Pimm

A comprehensive study of the pervasive misogyny that left women behind while British society moved toward the Age of Enlightenment.   Although the worlds of science and philosophy took giant strides away from the medieval view of the world, attitudes to women did not change from those that had pertained for centuries. The social turbulence of the first half of the seventeenth century afforded women new opportunities and new religious freedoms, and women were attracted into the many new sects where they were afforded a voice in preaching and teaching. These new and unprecedented liberties thus gained by women were perceived as a threat by the leaders of society, and thus arose an unlikely masculine alliance against the new feminine assertions, across all sections of society from Puritan preachers to judges, from husbands to court rakes.   This reaction often found expression in the violent and brutal treatment of women who were seen to have stepped out of line, whether legally, socially or domestically. Often beaten and abused at home by husbands exercising their legal right, they were whipped, branded, exiled and burnt alive by the courts, from which their sex had no recourse to protection, justice or restitution.   This work records the many kinds of violent physical and verbal abuse perpetrated against women in Britain and her colonies, both domestically and under the law, during two centuries when huge strides in human knowledge and civilization were being made in every other sphere of human activity, but social and legal attitudes to women and their punishment remained firmly embedded in the medieval.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Womens

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2020

Reviews

[Corinne Sparks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not light reading!
Its also not strictly an academic text, as it concentrates more on chronicling the ways in which women were victims of patriarchal laws during the aforementioned time period, rather than drawing a conclusion or developing a thesis upon the chronicling.
As such, it's an interesting read, but I was somewhat mystified as to whst it was for.
It's certainly important to recognise the changing face of law enforcement in relation to gender and how women were treated and how this has changed, but I'd have liked a cohesive thesis to put together some sort of conclusion and explain what meaning the author draws from this.
It's interesting, but a bit depressing, and a bit... Rubber necking? It's like we're invited to ogle and titillate ourselves over all these awful things with no reason other than to entertain.
I'd recommend this with heavy editing and more insightful thought.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting book, sadly all too relevant in the world today. Although maybe not largely in the western world (although a lot still goes on) around the world these tales are still going on. A well written and thought out book, interesting and shocking. A good read for those interested in history, equality and equal rights.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Melisende · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Pimm's book has done is catalogue the judicial use of violence as a form of punishment for crimes - or even perceived crimes - by women over the period of the 17th and 18th centuries, with a focus on Britain (and its satellite colonies).

This is a fascinating read for the student of both social and legal history, though I won't whitewash the fact that our modern day sensibilities (such as they are) will not only be offended but challenged. Having said that, one wonders if we have advanced as far as we think - or would like to think - that we have with regards to attitudes towards women. Not the least bit thought provoking.

Full review @ Melisende's Library"

[Proforma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1782, Sir Francis Buller (1630 – 82) earned the nickname ‘Judge Thumb’ when he ruled a husband could beat his wife with a stick as long as it was no thicker than his thumb. One hundred and twenty years ago, it was still legal for your husband to beat you.

John More published The Lawes Resolution of Women’s Rights of the Lawe’s Provision for Women in 1632, it was the first book published since antiquity to define women’s rights. It more or less stated that women had no legal rights. ‘Women have nothing to do in constituting laws (sic), or consenting to them.’ It furthermore states ‘If a man beat an outlaw, a traitor, a pagan...or his wife, it is dispunishable(sic), because by the Law Common, these persons can have no action.’

The Reverend George Bird (poet and vicar) who lived from 1858 – 1941 stated that ‘It is a man’s duty to rule his own household; and if his wife refuse to obey his orders, he is justified, according to the law of God, in beating her in order to enforce obedience.’ Although the beating of women by their husbands had been abolished by Common Law, the law of God apparently still allowed it. The Common law regarding the beating or corporal punishment of prisoners (including female prisoners) was only abolished in 1948.

The contents of PIMM’s latest contribution are ordered in categories such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, whipping, burned alive and many more. It is the only way to order such an enormous litany of abuse, spanning centuries and including all the ways and methods in which women were abused. Other categories include hanging, witchcraft, transportation and ends with the growing distaste in the legal system in the twentieth century and the abolition of corporal punishment.

The last woman to be killed for witchcraft was Ann Turner, who was murdered by the village idiot in 1875. At 80 years old in September 1875, she left her house to buy a loaf of bread. On her way back, James Hayward attacked her with a pitchfork, stabbing her in the legs and head.

At trial (such as it was), he claimed Ann was a witch and that there were other witches in the village whom he intended to deal with in the same way. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

By all indications, Ann got off lightly.

Witches were usually burned at the stake, and an estimated 100 000 people were burned or otherwise killed for witchcraft between the 15th and 18th centuries in western Europe, 80% of them were women.
Sexual abuse was rife, and rape was excused if the woman became pregnant. Law or Discourse Therof by Sir Henry Finch in 1627 states ‘Rape is the carnal abusing of a woman against her will. But if the woman conceive upon any carnal abusing of her, that is no rape, for she cannot conceive unless she consent.’

It beggars belief, but there it is.

Furthermore, a woman could not be raped by her husband for ‘by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract the wife hath given up herself in this kind unto her husband, which she cannot retract.’ – High Court Judge Sir Matthew Hale 1609-76. This belief persisted into modern times that an unwilling woman could not be raped. Perhaps her vagina would remain closed due to her virtue. Until the 1970’s the police in the UK routinely asked women who reported rape whether or not they had climaxed. The insinuation being that if you had climaxed, you were a willing participant or had asked for it.

PIMM quotes a plethora of cases of child rape and as it is sadly remains, paedophilia was rife. One Francis Hays was tried for the rape of two children in 1761, both were girls. Mary Swan was aged 8 years old and Anne Lemman was 7 years old. Hays was found guilty and sentenced to six months imprisonment for each offence, to stand in the pillory and to give £100 surety for his good behaviour for three years. (Public Ledger or The Daily Register of Commerce and Intelligence, 8 Jan 1761)

The author quotes from an elaborate number of sources making this a premium research book for history students. He includes ten appendices ranging from poems of the day to a list of slang terms for women, to a list of women burned at the stake between 1721 – 1789 in England. There is also an index, bibliography and numerous plates relating to the various chapters.

All told, I found this book incredibly interesting, well written and well researched. I recommend it highly. I rate this book 5 stars and thank the Pen and Sword Publishers for the copy.

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although like most readers I was generally aware of the subservient and discriminatory way that females have been treated throughout history it was nonetheless still shocking to read of the brutal and inhuman treatment they were afforded in seventeenth and eighteenth century Britain. Deriving in large part from religious and superstitious attitudes the role of women in society was little changed from medieval times and this rigid framework of exploitation and control was upheld by a draconian legal system that would often punish women far harsher then men for the same crime. An example of this being death by burning where women were subjected to this barbaric act for the crimes of "petty" and "high treason" while men were subject to hanging. Interestingly the last woman to be convicted of the latter crime which encompassed coin forgery was as surprisingly late as 1789.

The book makes clear that throughout all layers of society there was an acceptance and condoning of casual violence perpetrated against women. Even in the diaries of that so called educated and enlightened man of letters Samuel Pepys can be found instances of him recounting how he would beat his wife and female servants (this he would have a legal right to do) and the instances of violence against women that he would encounter going about the streets of London. The book is comprised of chapters covering such issues as the various forms of punishment that were exclusive to women, the treatment of women in the British colonies and the role of religion in female subjugation. This is a well researched book and the use of contemporaneous newspaper and trial reports together with diary entries of the time give an immediacy to the period.


I have now read several historic and biographical books published by Pen & Sword and I have always found them to be well written and informative. They may well introduce you to subjects and figures of the past that you may have not been previously familiar with which can if desired lead to further reading. Due to the concise nature of their books (they can normally be read over the course of one or two days) you can quickly gain a basic appreciation of a subject under review. Like other Pen & Sword books there is an interesting collection of photographs that lend credence to the text. A recommended read for those interested in history and how it continues to shape the present.

[Divergent · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first couple of chapters of the book, I was correctly sure that this will be a quite elaborate, truthful, factual, yet detailed account of how women were abused through the course of centuries. It is also highly interesting how the perceptions and treatment of women changed in the law and by society, however, we still have a long way to go in terms of establishing equality. This is a well-researched account of how women were unfairly and sometimes brutally treated. I was quite shocked learning about all the mistreatments and inhumanity, both physically and mentally, what women had to go through. Even though that I’ve previously looked into women’s treatment in the Victorian Era, I was taken aback by the extent of such accounts.

The only thing that made it a bit difficult to read is the lack of paraphrases and the many quotations in the chapters. On the other hand, these were exactly the aspects in the book that made it a quite impressive one to read. It is chronological and highly interesting to read how the contemporary words used to describe such “crimes” committed by women. The other thing that somewhat left me with the feeling of lack of completion is that there were no summaries at the end of the chapters or some sort of short paragraph introducing the connection with the next one.

to summarize, my overall impression on the book is that it is well-written and quite handy when you want to have a background work when specifically writing/researching about. Definitely a worthy read when looking up the history of women’s rights, too.

[Jackelyn Santana · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wives might have suffered at the hands of their husbands, but they could also suffer physical abuse at the hands of other women."

I wanted to learn more about how women's rights have evolved and felt this book was a good place to start in understanding their suppression. I was disturbed and angry by the injustices women have experienced throughout the years. Some of the things discussed I've been aware of. Like how women were expected to serve and be subservient to their husbands and men. I enjoyed learning about how women started speaking up and asking for abusive men to be held accountable for their actions. It was difficult to learn that neighbors would stand idly as women screamed for help while their husband beat them, sometimes even resulting in the death of the woman. It was disturbing to read that women turned against each other, abusing the women who were speaking up for change and freedom. I highly recommend this book. It's educational and it's a must-read to be reminded of the sacrifices made by women in the past years so that we can honor them when we embrace the liberties they weren't as fortunate to enjoy.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Violent Abuse of Women in 17th and 18th Century Britain by Geoffrey Pimm

The books looks at how women were treated unfairly and very often violently throughout the the 17th and 18th century as stated in the title. Women during this time had very little to no rights and were treated as object of scron by the both the males of the households and justice system.

An examples of the difference between the treatment of men and women can seen in how courts delt with the crimes of petty theft and high treason for these crimes men where hanged , where's women were hurshly sentenced to death by burning at the stake. In any household at the time a men could also beat his wife and his female servants with legal rights to do

A interesting, well researched and a thought provoking book but sadly at times a very hard read due to subject matter.

Would recommend to those with an interested in history, equality and equal rights.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to review this work.

In graduate school, I spent a lot of time reading texts from the 17th and 18th century Britain. When we would discuss violence against women, we were often dismissed because "that's just the way it was" and, in some instances, certain professors would argue that it wasn't important to the text. So, I have a great deal of experience with history and literature from Britain in this time. Still, Pimm's book is very rich in detail and very engaging. This is not "hey, it's a rainy Sunday read," but there is a great deal of depth to the structure of the work. I hesitate to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but the writing was very solid and enjoyable.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It isn't bad, but it is graphic and a little repetitive. I felt like I saw the same cases a few times in different sections of the book. However, I did not realize how badly women were regarded in that time, so I do appreciate the work the author put into this book.
*Do not read if you are easily affected by gore or triggers.*

[JWG1973UK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I found this to be extremely fascinating and interesting read. I also found it hard to read at times. It was good to find out how women were treated then compared to nowadays. Although a lot has changed over the years there is still some of it relevant in the present day (although not as bad in the western countries compared with other countries).

The book was well written and the author done some solid research. I would recommend reading it if you like History and/or Equal Rights.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Violent Abuse of Women in 17th and 18th Century Britain by Geoffrey Pimm was a very incite full read.
As a female, I cannot say it was enjoyable based on the actual subject matter, however it was a fascinating read to see how society was then vs now and how (luckily) we have evolved.
It also shows us how far we still have yet to go.

Thank you NetGalley for the allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Violent Abuse of Women in 17th and 18th Century Britain, Geoffrey Pimm argues that the two centuries he covers was a period of profound change between the mediaeval and modern worlds. For women, however, that transition into an ‘enlightened’ future barely made a dent in their standing and treatment at the hands of the patriarchy: women were the ‘weaker vessel’ and easily influenced by the devil; they had few rights under a misogynistic law and little recourse to a gentler society. That sets the tone for Pimm’s catalogue of abuse directed against women at all levels of British society. It is a sometimes a distressing but also fascinating read.
Violence began at home where the man ruled over his wife and household almost without limits. That extended to children and servants. Sexual violence was a pronounced component of that abuse at one end of the spectrum, while libel and slander caused damage at the other end. Violence also underpinned many clandestine marriages and abductions. All of this was conducted under a lax legal system for perpetrators. But the legal system itself sanctioned extreme cruelty. Women sentenced to prison for even the most minor misdemeanours, including cross-dressing, were held in disgusting conditions, but they were also routinely whipped, often publicly in front of a crowd, some of whom attended for erotic satisfaction, and not just men. Branding and maiming also occurred as did the scold, a bracket placed round the head of female gossips and blasphemers. The latter might also be subject to ducking in the village pond or a river, or a whipping, and sometimes worse – Quakers had a particularly bad time at the hands of legally sanctioned religious fanaticism. The worst legal punishment for women was execution by burning, which was replaced by hanging under the notorious Bloody Code. Others were transported to the colonies where if anything conditions were worse than prisons. Women convicted of lesser offences might suffer the public pillory where they might suffer anything from indignity to life-threatening violence. Being exposed in a cage was, however, on the way out in the 18th Century, though it was still used. Pimm concludes with the growing reform movement in the 19th Century that led to the end of these sustained levels of violence against women. Four appendices follow, providing more detail on some specific cases and a list of whipping offences in Jamaica from 1858, long after the Mother Country had stopped.
Pimm’s absorbing survey contains twenty chapters, which is disappointing in that there were so many facets to violent abuse against women. That might explain, however, Pimm’s short chapter on the almost exclusively female crime of witchcraft, while I am not sure the Whipping Tom stories of obviously criminal behaviour quite fit into this book; they could have been excised to make more room elsewhere for deeper analysis. Pimm also derives many accounts directly from the sources, including some surprising perpetrators such as James Boswell, Jonathan Swift, and especially Samuel Pepys. Moreover, Pimm brings out the obvious patriarchal side to this story, but also the hypocritical class aspects, and he mentions race where applicable, all of which points to violence as an instrument of planned social control, though Pimm swerves round that conclusion. Nevertheless, Pimm has added to our knowledge of women during that transitional era in an enlightening but often uncomfortable read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would I recommend it : yes
Would I read anything else by author? Maybe
First off I do want to say that this isn't light read that you can read in one setting, and if your someone who might have flashbacks then this isn't for you. Because this author brings to live how women were treated unfairly and very often violently throughout the the 17th and 18th century. As well as how women during this time had very little to no rights and were treated as object of scron by the both the males of the households and justice system.He also brings to life that to this day some things haven't changed in how some of the man treat their wife's and daughters, and how even in some social aspects its even allowed from the man folk to kill their own daughters.With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it .

[Beth Younge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried so hard to get into this book but I just couldn't. The writing was not consistent for me and even though the topic was super interesting, I could not focus on this for more than two minutes. The writing was too dry in places and this sucked me out of the book. Interesting topic, dry book.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject's horrific, but should be required reading

It's amazing how barbarous women were treated during the age of enlightenment. The scary thing is there are women who are still treated in such a barbarous fashion. It's just amazing how much we have and have not advanced.

[Rhiannon Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

*REVIEW to come*