Now! Then! The Northern Star reminds husbands that it is a criminal offence to sell one’s wife

21 April 1838: The Northern Star reminds husbands that it is a criminal offence to sell one’s wife

Northern Star. 1838/04/21. Selling a Wife. Leeds: Joshua Hobson. Get it:

Excerpt

One of those occurrences of selling a wife so disgraceful to civilised society, and especially to Englishmen, took place, last week, in a village near Bradford. The name of the seller is J. Wilkinson, and that of the buyer James Ellison. The former, being tired of his spouse, agreed to sell her to the latter, whose wife had run away, for 1s. The bargain was struck in the presence of a witness, and the poor woman was hoisted away, bag and baggage, to the residence of her new lord. In the morning he heartlessly turned her out, and her husband refused to take her. We would just remind these unprincipled men that it is indictable at common law for a person to sell his wife, though the vulgar error has it that he can. They probably do not remember the ease of one Jackson, who was guilty of the offence of selling his wife at the Butter Cross here, with a halter round her neck. He pleaded guilty, and expressed contrition for his offence, and, on that account, was leniently sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. Let these persons mind the constables are not after them.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Via Helena Fairfax (Fairfax 2019).

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Original

One of those occurrences of selling a wife so disgraceful to civilized society, and especially to Englishmen, took place, last week, in a village near Bradford. The name of the seller is J. Wilkinson, and that, of the buyer James Ellison. The former being tired of his spouse, agreed to sell her to the latter, whose wife had run away, for 1s. The bargain was struck in the presence of a witness and the poor woman was hoisted away, bag and baggage, to the residence of her new lord. In the morning he heartlessly turned her out, and her husband refused to take her. We would just remind these unprincipled men that it is indictable at common law for a person to sell his wife, though the vulgar error has it that he can. They probably do not remember the ease of one Jackson, who was guilty of the offence of selling his wife at the Butter Cross here, with a halter round her neck. He pleaded guilty, and expressed contrition for his offence, and, on that account, was leniently sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. Let these persons mind the constables are not after them.

198 words.