Gender and Defamation in York 1660-1700

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Abbreviations and conventions

Abbreviation
c. contra.
CP Cause Papers
DC Dean and Chapter's court
Gowing, Domestic dangers Laura Gowing, Domestic dangers: women, words and sex in early modern London (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996)
Kermode and Walker (eds.), Women, crime and the courts Jenny Kermode and Garthine Walker (eds.), Women, crime and the courts in early modern England (London: UCL Press, 1994)
P & P Past & Present
Sharpe, Defamation J. A. Sharpe, Defamation and sexual slander in early modern England: the church courts at York (York: Borthwick, 1980)
TRHS Transactions of the Royal Historical Society

In quoting original sources the original spelling and punctuation has been retained. Capitalisation has been standardised and abbreviations used by clerks have been expanded.

List of tables

  • Table 1.1: Gender of plaintiffs in city of York defamations causes, 1661-1700
  • Table 1.2: Gender ratios of litigants in York defamation causes, 1661-1700
  • Table 1.3: Marital status of female plaintiffs in York defamation causes, 1661-1700
  • Table 2.1: The words of defamation: women
  • Table 2.2: The words of defamation: men

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Professor Jim Sharpe for agreeing to supervise this thesis and sharing with me his wealth of experience and expertise. I am also grateful to Dr Mark Jenner for his advice and encouragement, and not least for helping to bring into focus a vaguely-imagined thesis topic. Without the dedication and skill of the staff (past as well as present) at the Borthwick Institute, of course, this thesis simply could not exist. I am deeply indebted to Dr Jane Rendall and Dr Joanna de Groot for all their contributions (far beyond the call of duty) towards making this MA such a stimulating and rewarding course. Finally, my thanks and deepest affection go out to all the fellow students without whom my ‘York experience’, personally, socially and academically, would have been a much poorer one; especially Dave, Alison, Nigel, Rishabh, Daniele, Maria, Giovanni, Masa, Guo and Fernando.

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