Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2016 'Ill-Liver of Her Body:' A Legal Examination of Prostitution in Late Medieval Greater London Lauren Marie Martiere Clemson University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Martiere, Lauren Marie, "'Ill-Liver of Her Body:' A Legal Examination of Prostitution in Late Medieval Greater London" (2016). All Theses. 2333. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2333 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. “ILL-LIVER OF HER BODY:” A LEGAL EXAMINATION OF PROSTITUTION IN LATE MEDIEVAL GREATER LONDON A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts History by Lauren Marie Martiere May 2016 Accepted by: Dr. Caroline Dunn, Committee Chair Dr. Lee Wilson Dr. Emily Wood ABSTRACT The following study endeavors to synthesize and enhance knowledge of what has previously been an under-represented field in the study of English medieval prostitution. It examines a variety of primary sources documenting the laws, punishments, and regulations concerning sexual commerce and reaches conclusions about the marginalization of prostitutes and the diverging systems of prostitution control implemented in the City of London and the Bishop of Winchester’s manor in Southwark. First, women, especially prostitutes, were marginalized in medieval English society. The prostitutes' inability to play an active role in either the secular or religious life of English communities cemented their position as outsiders.