Not so long ago I blogged about my ancestor Margaret Haffenden – Wiatt – Stretton – Gibbon and the incredible life she led. For her era, she accomplished far more than most women, which surely was testimony to her assertive character.
In todays blog, we’ll get a little better idea of the kind of discrimination she was up against in her life, just by being a woman!
Margaret was widowed for the second time in 1647 with the death of her second husband William Stretton. The terms of Stretton’s Will might anger some women reading this blog but they are factual from the period! While it seemed Margaret might have negotiated a settlement of &1045 (terrific sum for the period) in advance, she was subject to a limited time of ‘free’ residence in the house (6 months)? It also stated that he ‘willed’ her, her own clothes! Such conditions seem harsh to us but for the mid 1600’s were common.
To Mr. Stretton’s credit, he left 10 shillings in gold to his wife’s daughters of which, I descend from Rose. Quite likely, nothing forced Mr. Stretton to be this generous so he wasn’t all bad.
To wrap this up, rights for women have come a long way!
