Gender, property and succession in the early modern English aristocracy: the case of Martha Janes and her illegitimate children
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Amanda L. Capern; Hannah. Worthen; Briony McDonagh
- Source
- Women's History Review. 30:49-68
- Subject
- History
Property (philosophy)
media_common.quotation_subject
Ecological succession
Genealogy
language.human_language
Gender Studies
Power (social and political)
language
Servant
Inheritance
Aristocracy
Early Modern English
media_common
- Language
- ISSN
- 1747-583X
0961-2025
This article addresses the boundaries of female power within early modern aristocratic families. It examines the family arrangements of Lord Emmanuel Scroop whose marriage to Elizabeth Manners was childless. The research sets out to uncover Lord Scroop’s relationship with his servant, Martha Janes, and the property litigation pursued by Janes on behalf of their four illegitimate children whom Lord Scroop left his family estates to. The article sheds light on the hidden histories of bastardy and property within aristocratic families. It investigates how Janes and her children ultimately played a central role in the succession strategies of Lord Scroop, and considers how much importance aristocratic men attached to the concept of a legitimate male bloodline. The objective is to shine a light on economic and legal relationships in aristocratic families and reveal the relative—and relational—power an unmarried woman could gain through maternity.