Love & Marriage in Late Medieval London

Shannon McSheffrey is a Professor of History at Concordia University. Her research interests include gender, law, marriage, and popular religion in Late Medieval England.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChurch Courts and the Canon Law of MarriageThe Laity and Marriage Litigation in Fifteenth-Century EnglandCourtship and Marriage CustomsDepositions and Late Medieval LondonCourt ProcedureSuggestions for Further ReadingDepositions from Marital LitigationCourtship and the Making of a Marriage ContractExchange of GiftsRituals at MarriageLocation of the Exchange of ConsentThe Domestic Contract followed by BannsContracts Conditional on the Consent of Family MembersCommon Knowledge and Concern about MarriageDisputed Contracts: Attempting to EscapeFalse TestimonyMultiple Contracts and BigamyDivorce: Coercion or Force and FearDivorce: CrueltyFornicationAdulteryNotes