Of man's inhumanity to man there are many chronicles, but his inhumanity to those he is supposed to love and cherish has been less well-recorded. In remedying this deficiency Of Bridles & Burnings relates a tragic history of punishment which should have been documented long ago. The authors describe how and why over a thousand years, by both law and custom, British women were pilloried, executed and transported and made to undergo a host of savage humiliations contrived by masculine ingenuity. In tracing the roots of these punishments and the ancient prejudices against women they reveal why man chose to inflict such suffering on those without political or economic power, whose 'crimes' often resulted from society regarding women as mentally and morally inferior. This book is of wide interest to anyone who questions why, as the year 2000 approaches, and despite the vote and laws supposedly outlawing sexual discrimination, the legal system may still treat women more severely than men.

Of Bridles and Burnings: The Punishment of Women

E. J. Burford

History

St.Martin's Press

Wits, Wenchers and Wantons

Europe

Robert Hale, Ltd.

Of pimps and panders, prostitutes, procurers and brothel madams: E. J. Burford reveals the secrets of those who practised "The Orrible Synne" of lechery in and about the City of London through centuries of British lusting from Roman to Cromwellian times. In this fascinatingly frank and bawdy book the author views history from a new perspective. For instance the Plantagenet and Tudor kings are seen not as victors of international wars but as losers of the fight against ubiquitous lasciviousness in London and the realm. Repeatedly, E. J. Burford relates, kings and mayors have passed edicts against whores and whoredom; and ordained terrible punishments, such as the pillory, stocks, cage and the ducking stool, for those who indulged themselves sexually. As a parallel with the principal theme of this book, the author shows up the abominable social conditons of the common people in general and the practitioners of the "orrible synne" in particular -- most suffered from the "filthy diseases" without being fully aware they themselves were responsible for spreading such ills as syphilis and gonorrhoea. E. J. Burford has developed his story from the historical sources, going again and again to mediaeval records and texts to establish names and facts. A typical vignette: the "Rose Streets" and "Rose Alleys" of London and Southwark never saw a rose or a rose bush; only the lewd gentlemen who went to "pluck roses". And the many revealing illustrations he has sought out add greatly to the novelty of his history.

The Orrible Synne: A Look at London Lechery from Roman to Cromwellian Times

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

Calder & Boyars

Queen of the Bawds;: Or, the true story of Madame Britannica Hollandia and her house of obsenitie, Hollands Leaguer

Biographies & Memoirs

Neville Spearman

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by E. J. Burford. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by E. J. Burford