One of the earliest recorded wife sales took place in Sheffield in 1796, when it was noted that the clerk to the Sheffield Markets had been paid 4d for his part in the sale. We only know about this case from a much later enquiry, sent to the editor of the local newspaper, the Sheffield Independent dated June 1876. The enquirer, only known by his initials of ‘JB’ was asking for information about the case. It seems that he had found a reference to the sale in an unnamed book. His curiosity had been aroused, not by wishing to know more details about the woman involved, but rather wanting to know who the clerk was! The excerpt from the book had stated:
‘SALE EXTRAORDINARY.
On Saturday evening last, John Lees, steel burner, sold his wife for the small sum of 6d to Samuel Hall fell-monger, both of Sheffield. Lees gave Hall one guinea to have her immediately taken off to Manchester the day following by coach. She was delivered up with a halter round her neck, and the clerk of the market received 4d for his toll.
It was reported that this case actually took place under the direction of the local Lord Mayor of Sheffield, who also was unnamed.
Another recorded wife sale took place in 1807 when a man brought his wife to the market place, once again with a halter around her neck. When a bystander asked him ‘how much?’ the husband replied ‘a guinea.’ ‘Done’ said the other. The halter was removed from the woman before she was immediately led away by her new buyer. It was reported that the new owner looked very pleased with his bargain.
However a more recent sale took place on Tuesday 12 January 1847 when the Mayor of Sheffield, a man called Edward Vickers was making his way to the Magistrates Court at the Town Hall. He was due to take his place on the bench, when suddenly he noted that even though it was a market day, the crowd was much more extensive than usual. Consequently Mr Vickers had to almost fight his way through the throngs of people to get to the courthouse. The situation was exacerbated by carts which had been driven into the town, by farmers anxious to sell their wares. The crowd seemed to be larger in the area around the Exchange Inn on Exchange Street, Sheffield. There Mr Vickers saw that many of them had climbed onto the empty carts, eager to get a better view.
To make things worse, arguments had broken out between the farmers and the men who had climbed onto their carts, trampling what produce had been left. The resulting fistfights made the Mayor think that the world had gone completely mad. Mr Vickers was finally driven into making enquiries into the reason for the huge crowds, and was informed that a wife sale was due to take place shortly. Only then did the Mayor see an object of pity, a young woman who looked terrified at the scene that was unfolding in front of her. Unable to do much in view of the large crowds, Mr Vickers went immediately to the Town Hall, where he ordered police officers to bring the husband and his wife before him.
However by the time the constables returned, they were forced to admit that the man, whose name was Robert Trotter had absconded, leaving only his wife in the market place. She was brought into the court room, where she sobbed bitterly as she told the bench her tale. The young girl said that her name was Harriet Trotter and although she and her husband Robert had only been married for twelve months, he had treated her so cruelly that she had been forced to take him before the magistrates charged with assault. Because of this, her husband informed her that he intended selling her to one of his workmates. Mrs Trotter said that at that point he produced a gun, and had threatened to shoot her if she did not agree to the sale.
Questioned gently by Mr Vickers, the young woman admitted that she did not know the man into whose possession she was to be sold. The Mayor, after hearing her shocking evidence, dismissed the woman and issued a warrant for the arrest of Robert Trotter. Accordingly the next morning the man was brought into court, where he appeared to be completely unrepentant for his actions. Mr Vickers castigated him for his brutal behaviour, but however disgusted he felt at the circumstances surrounding the sale, the Mayor had little option but to stick to the word of the law. As the crime was legally classified as a misdemeanour, the magistrates simply ordered him to find sureties to keep the peace between himself and his wretched wife for the next six months. The couple then left the courtroom together.
Appalling though this case appears to be, research shows that the practise was still flourishing in the town thirty years later. In that particular case not only his wife was sold, but also the couple’s four children aged from five years to just three weeks. It seems that the unnamed man was an edge tool grinder of Trippet Lane, Sheffield who had been drinking freely in a public house when his wife appeared. She was trying to entice her husband to accompany her home for dinner and as such brought all the children with her. When his friends began to chaff at him, one of them enquired of him ‘how much will you take for the lot?’ and he answered that he would sell them all for a quart of beer.
Haggling commenced and eventually the two men settled on a price of 2½d. Unfortunately the buyer was already married, so there was some ribald speculation as to what kind of reception he would meet from his wife, when he returned home with the woman and her four children. As proof of the sale the receipt for the transaction was given to a reporter for the Sheffield Daily Telegraph. In the copy dated Saturday 21 July 1877 the report concluded by stating that ‘the receipt for the 2½d now lies at our office.’
Almost a carbon copy of this case was heard by the magistrates at the Sheffield County Court, four years later on Wednesday 25 May 1881.Indeed the case, which was referred to as ‘one of shocking immorality’ was so significant that the subject was actually referred to in the House of Commons. The case which was heard before judge, Mr Justice Ellison had been brought by a woman called Mrs Henderson of Pye Bank, Sheffield. She was bringing an action against Henry Moore of Dun Street, Sheffield to recover £1.10s as four weeks maintenance of his wife. Mr Clegg appeared as the prisoners defence. Mrs Moore was the first witness and she told the court that on 30 January 1881 her husband returned back home and with him was a married woman called Wood
When she remonstrated with him and told him that she would not have the woman in the house, her husband began to assault her. He savagely kicked and punched out at her, saying that if she tried to turn the woman out, he would kill her. Moore finally succeeded in pushing his wife out of the house and locking the door against her. Looking through the window she could see that he had a quart of beer with him, which he then proceeded to drink with Mrs Wood. Knocking on the window she cried out to be let back inside, but the pair simply ignored her. Mrs Moore told the court that following the attack she went to a neighbours house, a woman called Mrs Beresford.
Mr Moore had put in a counter claim that it was whilst his wife was stayed at Mrs Beresford’s house that she committed adultery with another unnamed man, which she heartily denied. Mrs Moore stated that her injuries from the attack made on her by her husband were so bad, that such a thing could not have happened. A doctor had been called and as a result of his violence, she was unable to leave her bed for some days. Mrs Moore told the judge that after a week or so she was forced to leave the neighbours house, and being unable to return to the marital home, was forced to have herself admitted to the workhouse in Sheffield. However on 18 March she went to stay with another friend called Mrs Henderson and was still living there, hence the demand for maintenance from her husband.
Mrs Henderson was the next witness and she corroborated Mrs Moore’s evidence. Mr Clegg admitted to the judge that his client, Henry Moore was now living with the married woman. The judge condemned the fact that the court was having to hear evidence in a case of such immorality. However Mr Clegg stated that because his wife had been unfaithful, his client should not be forced into paying for her maintenance. Henry Moore was then called to give his evidence and he readily admitted that the woman he was now living with, was married to a friend of his called Wood. He was cross-examined by Mr Fairburn, and asked how he had managed to induce his friend to allow his wife to live with him. Moore answered simply ‘well, he sold her to me.’
He readily admitted that he had bought the woman from his friend for a quart of beer. He was questioned as to why he was not paying his wife any maintenance, and he stated that on the night in question he found his wife ‘acting in an improper manner with another man.’ Mr Fairburn summed up the case and told the bench that Moore was not a man who should be believed. He said ‘the real facts are that he wanted to get rid of his wife, and to continue to live with the woman he had bought. The judge than adjourned the case for a week in order that Mrs Beresford could be summoned to give evidence. She was the neighbour to whose house Mrs Moore had been forced to flee, and would be able to clarify the supposed adultery which it had been alleged had taken place whilst staying there.
However a week later when Henry Moore’s name was called he did not appear. Mr Clegg explained that he had seen his client who told him that he would not be attending the court. Mr Justice Ellison stated that if he remembered the facts correctly, this was simply a case of the husband being an adulterer and his wife was alleged to be an adulteress. When Mr Clegg agreed that was true, he asked his Worship if he would pass a judgement on the case or strike it out. The judge agreed that under the circumstances he would just strike it out. However that was not the end of the matter.
Five days later on Monday 30 May 1881, Mr T D Sullivan, the MP for Westmeath asked the Secretary of State, Sir W Harcourt in the House of Commons if he had heard about the recent case of wife selling which had taken place in Sheffield. He urged the Secretary of State to take some action in order to:
‘Remove the impression which appears to exist in some parts of England, that the sale of wives is a legitimate transaction.’
Sir Harcourt refused to get involved, saying that ‘I can find nothing in this affair except the casual utterance of a drunken ruffian, who was simply finding excuses for his own immorality’ and with that the whole subject was dropped.
Perhaps Mr Sullivan’s comments had some resonance in Sheffield, as six years later a case was heard which suggests that wife selling was to be placed on some kind of legal footing. It started at the Sheffield County Court when the same judge, Mr Justice Ellison was hearing the case of Hall v. Smithies on Wednesday 13 July 1887. A fish dealer called William Hall was brought before them, who was attempting to sue for loss of goods amounting to £28.2s.6d. The action was brought against the landlady of the White Horse Hotel on Grammar Street, Walkley, Jessie Smithies. The prosecution, in an attempt to cast doubt on the evidence of William Hall, asked him if he had bought a wife in Sheffield three years earlier.
Hall freely admitted he had done so and he had paid the sum of 5s for her. The witness seemed to show no sign of remorse at his own behaviour, on the contrary he seemed proud of the fact. The receipt for the sale was flourished at the court before being shown to the bench and passed around among the magistrates. On the paper, which had been witnessed by two other men, the heading showed that it had been written at the Royal Oak in Sheffield and dated 6 June 1884. The receipt stated:
‘I, Abraham Boothroyd, agree to sell my wife (Clara) to William Hall of Sheffield for the sum of 5s. Witnessed my hand.’
The signatures of both Boothroyd and Hall were on the paper, as were two witnesses to the sale named as George Green and Benjamin Hancock. As proof of the levity which surrounded the whole subject, there was laughter in the court as Hall admitted that he had spent the 5s in drink. Thankfully, this is the last case of wife selling that I have been able to find which took place in Sheffield. Its to be hoped that this case signalled a new more enlightened age, where such barbaric practises finally ceased.