Dissertation Tidbit

[orichalcum]

In 17th century England, Thomas Heath, a maltser, "bought" the wife of George Fuller for three weeks, paying 2 pence per pound of her weight (_Weaker Vessel_, Antonia Fraser, pg 414). He paid, in total, 29 shillings and 1 farthing, meaning that (my calculation) she weighed about 174 pounds.

The different social concepts that both allow and value paying for a woman more by weight...it's really interesting. Not to mention the idea of renting someone else's wife for three weeks.

Comments

[redhound.livejournal.com]

I'm appalled. Any right-thinking individual buys and sells women by the unit, or by the three-pack. What's the 17th century coming to?

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

I hear Costco has em in six-packs. They sell real well in winter in the Midwest, lemme tell ya.

[redhound.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but when you buy a six-pack the last few always go bad and you wind up throwing them away. It'd be OK if you run a business or are having a party, I guess.

[foldedfish.livejournal.com]

Still, that's better than trying to buy the women they cram into 2-liter bottles.