John Gorsthorpe exposed his wife for sale in the market, at Hull, about one o'clock; but, owing to the crowd which such an extraordinary occurrence had gathered together, he was obliged to defer the sale, and take her away. About four o'clock, however, he again brought her out, and she was sold for 20 guineas, and delivered, in a halter, to a person named Houseman, who had lodged with them four or five years."

Morning Post, October 10, 1807: "One of those disgraceful scenes, which have, of late, become too common, took place on Friday se'nnight at Knaresborough. Owing to some jealousy, or other family difference, a man brought his wife, equipped in the usual style, and sold her at the market cross for 6d. and a quid of tobacco!"

In the Doncaster Gazette of March 25, 1803, a sale is thus described: "A fellow sold his wife, as a cow, in Sheffield market-place a few days ago. The lady was put into the hands of a butcher, who held her by a halter fastened round her waist. 'What do you ask for your cow?' said a bystander. 'A guinea,' replied the husband. 'Done!' cried the other, and immediately led away his bargain. We understand that the purchaser and his 'cow' live very happily together."

Enough examples have been given to show that the French idea of wives being sold in Smithfield, and elsewhere, is founded on fact; indeed, there is no reason to disbelieve the writer of "Six mois à Londres in 1816,"

"A WOMAN TO LET."

67

when he describes a wife sale he saw at Smithfield--at which the lady was offered at the price of 15s., and, at that price, was eventually purchased, after due examination, "Comme il avait examiné quelques instans auparavant, une jument que je l'avais vu marchander.”

We must not throw stones at our grandfathers because this custom was in their midst. I could quote numerous instances of it, from time to time, down to our own days. Vide the South Wales Daily News, May 2, 1882, where, at Alfreton, a woman was sold, by her husband, in a publichouse for a glass of ale; and, again, in the Pall Mall Gazette, October 20, 1882, where it is recorded, that, at Belfast, a certain George Drennan sold his wife to one O'Neill, for one penny and a dinner.

But, before dismissing the social status of women of this class, at that time, I cannot help chronicling a singular custom, which, however, appears to be peculiarly local.

Annual Register, March 22, 1806: "A WOMAN TO LET! There is a custom, which, most likely, is peculiar to a small district in the western part of Cumberland. A few days ago, a gentleman from the neighbourhood of Whitehaven, calling upon a person, at his house in Ulpha, was informed that he was not at home; he was gone to church; there was 'a woman to let!' On enquiry as to the meaning of this singular expression, it was thus explained :—When any single woman, belonging to the parish, had the misfortune to prove with child, a meeting of the parishioners

is called, for the purpose of providing her a maintenance in some family, at so much a week, from that time to a limited time after delivery; and, this meeting (to give it the greater sanction), is uniformly holden in the church, where the lowest bidder has the bargain! And on such occasions, previous notice is given, that on such a day, there will be a' woman to let.''

ᎣᎣᎣᎣᎣ

000000

0000

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Gambling-Downfall of Lady Archer, &c.-Card playing in the Royal CircleCard money-High play-Play at the Clubs-Lotteries-The method of drawing them-Horse racing-Turf and horses better than now-Curious names of race horses-Ladies Lade and Thornton-Lady Thornton's racesTattersall and Aldridge.

NE vice the women of that age had, in common with the men, and that was Gambling-which, perhaps, was not so bad among the former, as during the last years of the preceding century, when Ladies Archer, and Buckinghamshire, and Mrs. Concannon were pilloried, and scourged metaphorically by the Satirists, as they were promised to be treated, physically, by Lord Kenyon. Their race was run-as expressed in the Morning Post, January 15, 1800: "Society has reason to rejoice in the complete downfall of the Faro Dames, who were so long the disgrace of human nature.

Their die is cast, and

their odd tricks avail no longer. The game is up, and very few of them have cut with honours."

Mrs. Concannon still kept on, but not in London, as

is seen by the following paragraph. Morning Herald, December 18, 1802: "The visitors to Mrs. Concannon's petits soupers, at Paris, are not attracted by billets previously circulated, but by cards, afterwards dealt out, in an elegant and scientific manner; not to mince the matter, they are the rendezvous of deep play: and the only questionable point about the matter is, whether the Irish, or the French, will prove victors at the close of so desperate a winter's campaign."

Still, we find even in the Royal circle, where the utmost gravity of demeanour, and purity of manner, were to be found, the card table was the evening's amusement. "The evening is, as usual, passed at cards, in the Queen's Drawing Room, where three tables are set out." And cards were still the staple entertainment both for men and women, at night. Naturally, the latter did not play for such high stakes as the men did; but they contrived to make, or lose, a sufficient sum, either to elate, or to depress them, and experience, as far as in them lay, all the fierce feelings of the gambler. Nay, some made a pitiful profit out of their friends-in the shape of "card money"--which meant that the players put so much, every game, into a pool (generally the snuffer tray) to pay for the cards, and something for the servants.

It was a practice in its death throes, having been mortally wounded, by public opinion, at the end of the last century; but the little meanness still obtained-vide the Morning