Re: rape and incest in 17th cent
Dave Postles (pot@leicester.ac.uk)
Fri, 6 Jan 1995 07:58:35 +0000
Pat Hoffmann's query came to mind yesterday as I was rebinding an early
18th century ms. (1701-12) at work (Harvard Law School Library). The
ms. is filled with short notes of indictments, etc. The one which caught my
eye concerned one Brigit Reading who was raped in a field near Dublin to which
she had been taken. Before the rape she was forced into some sort of marriage
rite which would appear to be an attempt on the part of her captor to escape
a subsequent rape charge. The indictment clearly indicates that Brigit took
a dim view of the proceedings and implies that the English legal system did
also. Along with the perpetrator, the indictment names another man and his
wife as culpable (of what isn't clear). Since most rapists don't provide
witnesses, I presume these people were there to lend legality to the
marriage, a further indication that this fellow (whose name I forget,
Dennis Something) was
very anxious to evade the rape charge. Not anxious enough, however, not to
do it.
Dorothy Africa
Harvard Law School Library
africa@hulaw1.harvard.edu