Anne Orthwood’s Bastard: Sex and Law in Early Virginia

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Description

In 1663, an indentured servant, Anne Orthwood, was once impregnated with twins in a tavern in Northampton County, Virginia. Orthwood died soon after giving birth; probably the most twins, Jasper, survived. Orthwood’s illegitimate pregnancy sparked four related cases that came before the Northampton magistrates — who coincidentally held court in the similar tavern — between 1664 and 1686. These interrelated cases and the decisions rendered in them are notable for the ways through which the Virginia colonists modified English common law traditions and started to create their very own, in addition to what they reveal about cultural and economic values in an Eastern shore community. Through these cases, the very reasons legal systems are created are revealed, namely, the upkeep of social order, the security of property interests, the security of personal reputation, and personal liberty. Through Jasper Orthwood’s life, the remedy of the poor in small communities is set in sharp relief.

Anne Orthwood’s Bastard was once the winner of the 2003 Prize in Atlantic History, American Historical Association.

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