Daughters of Eve

This study examines cases of fornication, bastardy, and paternity cases brought before the courts in Essex County, Massachusetts between 1640 and 1692. Prosecution and conviction rates, sentencing patterns, and socio-economic data, as well as attitudes, were analyzed to determine that women who bore illegitimate children were punished more severely than their male partners, and regarded with contempt by the majority of women. Acknowledgements List of Tables List of Figures 1. What For My Afflicted and Abased Family: The Regulation of Sexual Intercourse between Unmarried Persons in Essex County, Massachusetts, 1640-1685 2. By Reason of His Great and Constant Familiarity: Illegitimate Motherhood in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts 3. Dishonoring God and Massachusetts: Sociological Aspects of Illegitimacy 4. To the Great Grief of our Aged Parents: Pregnant Brides in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts 5. Playing the Rogue: Rape and Issues of Consent in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts 6.They are Here More Discovered and Seen: Conclusions Appendix A: Methodology Appendix B: Review of the Literature Appendix C: The Justice System Bibliography