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What are you waiting for?
Church records are usually incomplete when it comes to the finer details of court appearances, citing only the bare bones of the cases. This is often frustrating for historical researchers, but it does allow a very small glimpse at the lives of medieval women, and very often, gives them a name.
From Lincoln in England, we find Joan Willys, who was a household servant.
She is named as part of a case in the Visitations records in Lincoln, England where her employer, John Hunt has been taken to task for improper conduct, namely living unmarried and having a sexual relationship with her as his servant.
Joan has taken certain herbs to terminate a pregnancy, but later is married to the man in question. No indication is given whether she was a willing participant in the intimate activities or whether she had no choice and was forced as his household servant. Either way, the use of the word "persuaded" when it comes to the part about ending her pregnancy is used, hinting that perhaps she wasn't entirely on board with that part.
Many medieval women had a strong church background and the fear of hell was absolutely a real thing, so deliberately ending a pregnancy may have been a decision she may not have been comfortable with.
After the Visitation, John and Joan were married, but again, there is no indication whether this was a state desired by both of them. There are a number of reasons why the marriage happened:
1. forced upon them under pain of being removed from the church
2. to legitimise John's child and provide an heir
3. they loved each other
2. to legitimise John's child and provide an heir
3. they loved each other
Which of these is true, we will never know.
For more medieval women, the Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women is available online and through all good book sellers.
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Medieval urology
22 March 2022 07:58 pm
I'd like to say that while some things change, some things sure do stay the same.
Women have always been keenly interested in knowing whether they were pregnant or not. Whether hoping to confirm a baby was on the way to that sigh of relief if one was unexpected, this hasn't changed. Women have always wanted answers.
Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of advice offered to the woman who desperately wished to know whether she was or was not. Most of it involved what we would today call urology: the study of urine. Indeed, today we can confirm a pregnancy with a simple urine test purchased over the counter at a chemist. No doctor or specialist is needed, and the entire process can be carried out in the privacy of our own homes.
Things were a bit more complicated for the medieval woman. Urine was often involved (and pots of bran, if one recipe was to be believed,) but most commonly the medieval mother-to-be consulted a doctor, who studied her urine and made a decision based on the clarity, colour, odour and other signs from carefully examining the urine flask.
Red as gold urine, with other characteristics was thought to indicate a pregnancy. Today, a red (blood, perhaps?) urine might be more thought of as an indicator for kidney stones rather than pregnancy. The booklet, The Seeing Of The Urines, also used other colourful words to indicate the types of urine a pregnant medieval woman might expect. Tawny. Clear strikes. Troubledness.
For more interesting facts about medieval women, The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women is available through selected book stores, and as always, through your favourite online book seller.
Women have always been keenly interested in knowing whether they were pregnant or not. Whether hoping to confirm a baby was on the way to that sigh of relief if one was unexpected, this hasn't changed. Women have always wanted answers.
Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of advice offered to the woman who desperately wished to know whether she was or was not. Most of it involved what we would today call urology: the study of urine. Indeed, today we can confirm a pregnancy with a simple urine test purchased over the counter at a chemist. No doctor or specialist is needed, and the entire process can be carried out in the privacy of our own homes.
Things were a bit more complicated for the medieval woman. Urine was often involved (and pots of bran, if one recipe was to be believed,) but most commonly the medieval mother-to-be consulted a doctor, who studied her urine and made a decision based on the clarity, colour, odour and other signs from carefully examining the urine flask.
Red as gold urine, with other characteristics was thought to indicate a pregnancy. Today, a red (blood, perhaps?) urine might be more thought of as an indicator for kidney stones rather than pregnancy. The booklet, The Seeing Of The Urines, also used other colourful words to indicate the types of urine a pregnant medieval woman might expect. Tawny. Clear strikes. Troubledness.
For more interesting facts about medieval women, The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women is available through selected book stores, and as always, through your favourite online book seller.
