Publications
Divorce for the common man, by Alison Caffyn, published March 2011 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 19 no. 5, article, pp.212-215) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508846] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:The sale of wives, as if they were cattle, is not a thing of fiction although just how many wives were sold like this is not known. Wife sales were word of mouth affairs leaving little evidence behind, much of the information about them comes from newspaper reports and people's memories. There would have been many wife sales which did not get reported, but based on newspaper reports there were at least 387 wife sales during the 18th and 19th centuries; not a huge number but similar to the number of divorces granted by Act of Parliament during the same period.
To understand the circumstances that enabled wife sales to exist it helps to understand the customs of marriage and divorce. Common law marriage was prevalent before 1604 where traditions such as broom jumping and hand fasting were acceptable forms of marriage often followed by a blessing at the Parish Church. Over time the church became more involved in marriage traditions setting their own rules on the process, however common law or irregular marriage continued until 1753.
To understand the circumstances that enabled wife sales to exist it helps to understand the customs of marriage and divorce. Common law marriage was prevalent before 1604 where traditions such as broom jumping and hand fasting were acceptable forms of marriage often followed by a blessing at the Parish Church. Over time the church became more involved in marriage traditions setting their own rules on the process, however common law or irregular marriage continued until 1753.
Warren Farm School, by Allison Caffyn, published September 2014 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 21 no. 3, article, pp.104-107) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508853]
Preview:In 1858 the Brighton Guardians were beginning the process of building a new workhouse with an industrial school located about two miles away at Warren Farm in Rottingdean. The aim of the school was to give pauper children a basic education and a grounding in industry so that they could go out and earn a living (so reducing the likelihood they would be a burden on the system in the future). The school opened in 1862, boys were taught trades such as gardening, tailoring and shoemaking whilst girls were taught domestic service. There was a school band and many boys were taught to play an instrument, often leading to a career in an army band.
The school produced a variety of records including a log book which lists the children as they were placed in employment. The log book is now at the East Sussex Record Office (reference R/S/37/1) and covers the period 1891 to 1935 but the 100 year rule means only entries up to 2013 can be viewed (two other log books survive which take the records up to 1951).
The school produced a variety of records including a log book which lists the children as they were placed in employment. The log book is now at the East Sussex Record Office (reference R/S/37/1) and covers the period 1891 to 1935 but the 100 year rule means only entries up to 2013 can be viewed (two other log books survive which take the records up to 1951).