Anne Orthwood's bastard : sex and law in early Virginia / John Ruston Pagan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pagan, John Ruston.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kendall, John, active 1663.

Orthwood, Anne, 1639-1664.

Sex and law--Virginia--History--17th century.

Sex and law.

Illegitimacy--Virginia--History--17th century.

Illegitimacy.

Orthwood, Anne, 1639-1664--Trials, litigation, etc.

Orthwood, Anne.

Kendall, John, active 1663--Trials, litigation, etc.

Kendall, John.

History.

Virginia.

Physical Description:

222 pages : map ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

In 1663, an indentured servant, Anne Orthwood, was impregnated with twins in a tavern in Northampton County, Virginia. Orthwood died soon after giving birth; one of the twins, Jasper, survived. Orthwood's illegitimate pregnancy sparked four related cases that came before the Northampton magistrates -- who coincidentally held court in the same tavern -- between 1664 and 1686. These interrelated cases and the decisions rendered in them are notable for the ways in which the Virginia colonists modified English common law traditions and began to create their own, as well as what they reveal about cultural and economic values in an Eastern shore community. Through these cases, the very reasons legal systems are created are revealed, namely, the maintenance of social order, the protection of property interests, the protection of personal reputation, and personal liberty. Through Jasper Orthwood's life, the treatment of the poor in small communities is set in sharp relief.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-211) and index.

ISBN:

0195144783

0195144791

OCLC:

49386158