[WED]Somerset Quarter Session Rolls / Wanton Wenches

Wed, 3 Apr 2002 18:02:30 +0100

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The messages on the list about the Q S Rolls reminded me that fifteen or so
years ago when I was doing some research on Cocklake and Axbridge I came
across a book by G R Quaife. He had done his PhD on material gathered from
the Somerset Quarter Session Rolls. This thesis was turned into a book which
was published in 1979. I have no doubt that it is long out of print but for
those in England it probably is still available for borrowing from the
Public Library. Since Quaife was an Australian it may be available in
libraries in Australia. Below are a couple of extracts which were pertinent
to the area I was researching. If you think that you are liable to be
offended close you eyes now. A member of the Fry family is mentioned; C B
Fry the English author was related to the Axbridge Frys

Quaife. G.R. Wanton Wenches and Wayward Wives.
Pub. Croom Helm Ltd. 1979. pp. 156 - 158
Mary Combe.
Mary Combe was the wife of an innkeeper, she was vigorously outrageous and
bawdily uproarious. She appeared before the justices on a number of
occasions, yet ‘by the request of her neighbours and her husband and other
friends her lewdness was respited.’ Given the degree of lewdness official
inaction suggests some popular sympathy. What did she do?
Man after man among the drinkers in her inn complained that she ‘put her
hand into his breeches to feel what he had’ and then proclaimed that ‘if it
were ready to stand she was ready for him’. On the highway she was equally
direct. She ridiculed one man because ‘his prick would not stand’ and
claimed that she had brought some starch and ‘would draw it out and starch
it, to make it stand’. She often ‘layed her down in the highway between
Axbridge and Crosse, and called to all persons passing, by spreading her
legs abroad, saying: “come play with my cunt and make my husband a cuckold.”
’ Yet Mary Combe's activities are not that of a normal village slut. She
provided more than her body. She deliberately encouraged and organised
activities and sentiments opposed to traditional values. In 1653 she
organised a drinking orgy to which only cuckolds and cuckold-makers, the
outcasts of respectable society, were invited. When a respectable villager
was ill, Mary visited him and tried to tempt him in front of his wife. She
asked him ‘whether he was able to do her a good turn. And more plainly
whether he would .x.x. her or not, which is unseemly to write’. Before his
wife could remove her she took up the man's underclothes and threw them in
the fire. Whereas all the evidence points to sexual intercourse taking place
almost exclusively by the male lying on top of the woman, Mary Combe was
renowned for plucking up her coats and smock and sitting astride any man she
found lying on his back. She wandered around the parish naked - another
uncommon habit.
She delighted in shocking the godly, several witnesses complained that she
‘indecently would force an honest man to occupy her, spreading her legs
abroad and showing her commodity’. Another recalled that ‘coming into her
house she shut the door and would force him to be naught with her’. Yet
again another found her molesting his apprentice, while a fourth subjected
to her charms, ‘being sickly and not subject to idleness got from her’. A
respectable tradesman was confronted in his shop by the taunt: ‘thou cuckold
go to thy wife for she is fucking with William Fry.’ The resultant
disruption to the lives of two respectable families was indicated in his
subsequent comment - that it ‘caused a debate for a long time between me and
my wife and likewise he and his wife’. Her other habits were equally
nauseous to the normal parishioner. People she detested found their houses
spattered with human excrement - hers. One enemy expressed his disgust when
she ‘took up her clothes and pissed before him’. Mary continually escaped
penalties of the law yet her major opponent, one of the respectable
parishioners, was arrested and gaoled for harassing this unruly wife.
Joan Hix
Joan Hix operated along the Axe from Wells to Axbridge, constantly boasting
of and adding to her sexual exploits. Her major boast was that she ‘was
occupied fifteen times in one night’, a feat which she claimed entitled her
to be called a ‘lusty wench’. On another occasion ‘she was so drunk at
Axbridge that she was not able to go and talked very laviciously commending
and braying what a privvy part she had’. Her public and private molestation
and coercion of any man that took her fancy was infamous.
References.
Rolls of the Somerset Quarter sessions. (S.R.O.)
Session Roll 92. Examining justice -                        Smith, 4/5/1655.
Session Roll 95.                        Jones, 13/7/1657.
Session Roll 91.                        Gutch, 13/7/1655.

Stanley Castle

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<div class=3DSection1>

The messages on the list =
about the
Q S Rolls reminded me that fifteen or so years ago when I was doing some
research on Cocklake and Axbridge I came across a book by G R Quaife. He =
had
done his PhD on material gathered from the Somerset Quarter Session =
Rolls.
This thesis was turned into a book which was published in 1979. I have =
no doubt
that it is long out of print but for those in England it probably is =
still
available for borrowing from the Public Library. Since Quaife was an =
Australian
it may be available in libraries in Australia. Below are a couple of =
extracts which
were pertinent to the area I was researching. If you think that you are =
liable
to be offended close you eyes now. A member of the Fry family is =
mentioned; C B
Fry the English author was related to the Axbridge =
Frys<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter =
style=3D'margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center'><b
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold'><![=
if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

Qua=
ife.
G.R. Wanton =
Wenches and
Wayward Wives. <o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter =
style=3D'margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center'><font
size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
10.0pt'>Pub. Croom Helm Ltd. 1979. </span></font><b =
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><i style=3D'mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'>pp. 156 - 158<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-bottom:6.0pt'><b =
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Mary Combe.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

Mary Combe was =
the wife
of an innkeeper, she was vigorously outrageous and bawdily uproarious. =
She
appeared before the justices on a number of occasions, yet &#8216;by the
request of her neighbours and her husband and other friends her lewdness =
was
respited.&#8217; Given the degree of lewdness official =
inaction suggests
some popular sympathy. What did she do?

Man after man =
among the
drinkers in her inn complained that she &#8216;put her hand into his breeches to feel what =
he had&#8217;
and then proclaimed that &#8216;if it were ready to stand she was ready for =
him&#8217;.
On the highway she was equally direct. She ridiculed one man because =
&#8216;his prick
would not stand&#8217; and claimed that she had brought some =
starch and &#8216;would draw
it out and starch it, to make it stand&#8217;. She often =
&#8216;layed her
down in the highway between Axbridge and Crosse, and called to all =
persons
passing, by spreading her legs abroad, saying: &#8220;come play with my =
cunt and make
my husband a cuckold.&#8221;&#8217; Yet Mary Combe's =
activities are not that of
a normal village slut. She provided more than her body. She deliberately
encouraged and organised activities and sentiments opposed to =
traditional
values. In 1653 she organised a drinking orgy to which only cuckolds and
cuckold-makers, the outcasts of respectable society, were invited. When =
a
respectable villager was ill, Mary visited him and tried to tempt him in =
front
of his wife. She asked him &#8216;whether he was able to do her a good turn. =
And more
plainly whether he would .x.x. her or not, which is unseemly to =
write&#8217;.
Before his wife could remove her she took up the man's underclothes and =
threw
them in the fire. Whereas all the evidence points to sexual intercourse =
taking
place almost exclusively by the male lying on top of the woman, Mary =
Combe was
renowned for plucking up her coats and smock and sitting astride any man =
she
found lying on his back. She wandered around the parish naked - another
uncommon habit.

She delighted =
in shocking
the godly, several witnesses complained that she &#8216;indecently would force an =
honest man to
occupy her, spreading her legs abroad and showing her =
commodity&#8217;.
Another recalled that &#8216;coming into her house she shut the door and =
would
force him to be naught with her&#8217;. Yet again another =
found her
molesting his apprentice, while a fourth subjected to her charms, =
&#8216;being sickly
and not subject to idleness got from her&#8217;. A =
respectable tradesman
was confronted in his shop by the taunt: &#8216;thou cuckold go to thy wife for she is =
fucking with
William Fry.&#8217; The resultant disruption to the lives of =
two
respectable families was indicated in his subsequent comment - that it =
&#8216;caused a
debate for a long time between me and my wife and likewise he and his =
wife&#8217;.
Her other habits were equally nauseous to the normal parishioner. People =
she
detested found their houses spattered with human excrement - hers. One =
enemy
expressed his disgust when she &#8216;took up her clothes and pissed before =
him&#8217;.
Mary continually escaped penalties of the law yet her major opponent, =
one of
the respectable parishioners, was arrested and gaoled for harassing this =
unruly
wife.

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-bottom:6.0pt'><b =
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Joan Hix<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

Joan Hix =
operated along
the Axe from Wells to Axbridge, constantly boasting of and adding to her =
sexual
exploits. Her major boast was that she &#8216;was occupied fifteen times in one =
night&#8217;,
a feat which she claimed entitled her to be called a &#8216;lusty wench&#8217;. =
On another
occasion &#8216;she
was so drunk at Axbridge that she was not able to go and talked very
laviciously commending and braying what a privvy part she =
had&#8217;. Her
public and private molestation and coercion of any man that took her =
fancy was
infamous.

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-bottom:6.0pt'><b =
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>References.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

Rolls of the =
Somerset
Quarter sessions. (S.R.O.)

Session Roll 92. Examining justice -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp=
;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Smith,
4/5/1655.

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
6.0pt;margin-left:18.0pt;tab-stops:171.0pt'><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Session Roll 95.<span =
style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp=
;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Jones,
13/7/1657.</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
6.0pt;margin-left:18.0pt;tab-stops:171.0pt'><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Session Roll 91.<span =
style=3D'mso-tab-count:1'>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp=
;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Gutch,
13/7/1655. </span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
6.0pt;margin-left:18.0pt;tab-stops:171.0pt'><font size=3D2 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><![if =
!supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<h1><font size=3D3 face=3DArial><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><span
style=3D'mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Stanley =
Castle</span></span></font></h1>

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