Childwite
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2024) |
In medieval England, childwite (or childwit) was a fine levied by the feudal lord on the reputed father when an unmarried unfree woman gave birth to a child. The Oxford English Dictionary cites the following use of the term from 1672: "Within the Mannor of Writtle in Com. Essex, every reputed Father of a Bastard gotten there, pays to the Lord for a Fine three shillings four pence, and the custome is there also called Childwit."[1]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
See also
[edit | edit source]
