Woman Before the LawA review of women's legal status focusing on laws relating to marriage, motherhood, property rights, and divorce; thus reflecting the social definition of woman as wife and mother. |
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Common terms and phrases
acquired adultery age of consent allowed Arthur Rodgers Astor Library band Barb bigamy Blackstone causes chap CHAPTER Christian Church civil claim cohabitation common law conjugal consent considered court coverture cruelty curtesy daughter death debts deed dissolve divorce dowry duty England entitled existing father female Freebench G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS give given granted ground guardian held Henry VIII Hist husband and wife incapacity intolerable cruelty Kent lands legislation Levitical degrees liable live marriage contract married relation married woman ment minor child mode moral mortgage mother necessary obliged obtained offence one-third parents personal property polygamy possession provision real estate Real Prop recognized regard release dower riage right of dower rights and disabilities Roman Roman law rule separate estate separate property social society Stat statute term tion tract union valid marriage void vorce widow wife's wives women York
Popular passages
Page 58 - If the wife be injured in her person or her property, she can bring no action for redress without her husband's concurrence, and in his name, as well as her own: neither can she be sued, without making the husband a defendant.
Page 83 - It exists where a man is seised of an. estate of inheritance, and dies in the lifetime of his wife. In that case she is at common law entitled to be endowed, for her natural life, of the third part of all the lands whereof her husband was seised, either in deed or in law, at any time during the coverture, and of which any issue which she might have had, might by possibility have been heir.
Page 78 - A married woman may bargain, sell, assign and transfer her separate personal property, and carry on any trade or business, and perform any labor or services on her sole and separate account ; and the earnings of any married woman, from her trade, business, labor or services, shall be her sole and separate property, and may be used or invested by her in her own name...
Page 70 - ... and has by her issue, born alive, which was capable of inheriting her estate. In this case he shall, on the death of his wife, hold the lands for his life, as tenant by the courtesy of England.
Page 9 - A man, both day and night, must keep his wife so much in subjection that she by no means be mistress of her own actions. If the wife have her own free will, notwithstanding she be of a superior caste, she will behave amiss.
Page 23 - when he pronounced women to be a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, a domestic peril, a deadly fascination, a painted ill.
Page 25 - Justice Brooke (12 H. 8, fo. 4) affirmeth plainly that if a man beat an outlaw, a traitor, a Pagan, his villein, or his wife, it is dispunishable, because by Law Common these persons can have no action : God send Gentlewomen better sport, or better companie.
Page 86 - Indeed, the right that a dowress has to her dower is not only a legal right, but it is also a moral right, to be provided for and have a maintenance and sustenance out of her husband's estate to live upon. She is, therefore, in the care of the law, and a favorite of the law.
Page 83 - This species is fully described to be "where a man is seised of an estate of inheritance, and dies in the lifetime of his wife, in which case she is at common law entitled to be endowed, for her natural life, of the third part of all the lands whereof her husband was...
Page 4 - ... drunkenness, beat us ; draw us by the hair of the head, and tread us under foot. And what have we to comfort us for slavery that has no end ? A young wife is brought in upon us, who is permitted to abuse us and our children because we are no longer regarded. Can human nature endure such tyranny ? What kindness can we show to our female children, equal to that of relieving them from such oppression, more bitter a thousand times than death ? I say again, would to God that my mother had put me under...