‘He came to her bed pretending courtship’: sex, courtship and the making of marriage in Ulster, 1750–1844

Abstract

The history of sex and sexuality is underdeveloped in Irish historical studies, particularly for the period before the late-nineteenth century. While much has been written on rates of illegitimacy in Ireland, and its regional diversity, little research has been conducted on how ordinary women and men viewed sex and sexuality. Moreover, we still know little about the roles that sex played in the rituals of courtship and marriage. Drawing on a sample of Presbyterian church records, this article offers some new insights into these areas. It argues that sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual activity formed part of the normal courtship rituals for many young Presbyterian couples in Ulster. Courting couples participated in non-penetrative sexual practices, such as petting, groping and bundling. Furthermore, while sexual intercourse did not have a place in the formal route to marriage, many couples engaged in it regardless.

‘To Recover His Reputation Among the People of God’: Sex, Religion and the Double Standard in Presbyterian Ireland, c.1700–1838

“…As O'Dowd has argued, while a 'plurality of masculinities' existed at any one time in early modern Ireland, 'across the ethnic divide, [men] demonstrated their belief that one of their main responsibilities was the care of their family'. 103 Presbyterian sources present further evidence of similarities across the confessional divide than differences.…”

“…Recent scholarship has significantly challenged and revised these assumptions. 23 In common with the work of Mary O'Dowd and Maria Luddy, my own research has demonstrated how Presbyterian sources offer fresh perspectives on the wider Irish evidence, enriching our knowledge of many aspects of family life, including marriage, childbirth, sexuality and the law. 24 This article extends these conclusions and demonstrates how Presbyterian sources provide an alternative and unique insight into the sexual worlds of men in eighteenth-and nineteenth-century Ireland.…”

“…Offences generally fell into one of three broad categories: sexual offences, such as adultery, fornication and scandalous carriage; breaches of social and religious norms, including drunkenness, slander and profaning the Sabbath; and marital offences, such as irregular unions and bigamy. 25 There was an established framework for dealing with cases of discipline. Presbyterians in Ireland tended to follow the guidelines set down by the Church of Scotland in a document called the Form of Process (1707).…”

Exploring the ordinary: migration, sexuality and crime, and the progression of the ‘Agenda’ in Irish women's history, 1850s–1950s

“…50 Their work highlights how marital sexual experiences has been a largely neglected topic particularly from the mid nineteenth century, given recent work by Leanne Calvert on the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. 51 Analyses of sources that depict deviant or criminal sexual behaviour also reveal the corollary of what was considered 'normal'. The more 'common' female sexual experiences are revealed through scholarship on family planning or birth control.…”