Yes, gentle reader, if an unwed pregnant woman or new mother was reported to the authorities she was in big trouble in early America. We all remember The Scarlet Letter? The Puritans had a letter for every sin in the alphabet. Other colonies treated the matter differently, but punishment was dished out all the same. Remember, before the Revolution, Colonial America wasn't into separation of church and state yet, so it was a moral and a legal offense to give birth out of wedlock. A fine was placed on the woman's head, which if she couldn't pay (and she couldn't) resulted in a public lashing. Most of these unfortunates were servants, possibly indentured, and not wealthy women.
Accounts of such lashings are recorded in the antiquated book entitled The Annals of Augusta County, a neighboring Virginia county to my home in Rockingham. A lashing involved stripping away the woman's clothes so that her back and sometimes her breasts were bare for all to see. Shame as well as pain.
If the father of the child acknowledged his part (most were married so this wasn't kewl) and came forward to pay her fine, she was released with a warning. I read of one noble man coming forth to pay the fine and rescuing a young woman from such a harsh fate. Good for him!
I'm guessing, if at all possible, unwed mothers secreted their pregnancies. Bear in mind that this punishment was meted out to the less fortunate unprotected women. Isn't that the way? If a young lady had family who took her in and kept her secret or beat up anyone who threatened her, that was another matter. But that sort of family also likely saw to it that she was wed before the pregnancy became obvious. The mistress of a prominent man was not likely to be at risk either. Although many times a mistress had the title Mrs. in front of her name in the event that she needed a husband either absent or present to pin the pregnancy on. And thus it was...
Contributed by Beth Trissel, author of upcoming Wild Rose release Enemy of the King
www.bethtrissel.com
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