=========================================================================== | QUINQUENNIUM | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----- | 26| 31| 36| 41| 46| 51| 56| 61| 66| 71| 76|TOTAL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 30| 35| 40| 45| 50| 55| 60| 65| 70| 75| 80| -------------------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----- Single women | | | | | | | | | | | | 523 Appeared and confessed | ..| 13| 2| 4| 12| 4| 10| 6| 5| 13| 21| ... Confessed on | | | | | | | | | | | | recognizance | 2| 3| 12| 3| 9| 7| 9| 6| 4| 2| 2| ... Pleaded guilty | 9| 2| 3| 12| 10| 4| 11| 11| 13| 5| 2| ... Pleaded guilty and | | | | | | | | | | | | named man | 1| 3| 1| 4| 5| 6| 21| 18| 16| 7| 3| ... Conf. on recogniz'nce | | | | | | | | | | | | and named man | 10| 4| 6| 4| 3| 6| 16| 11| 15| 9| 1| ... Appeared, confessed, | | | | | | | | | | | | and named man | 4| 15| 5| 1| 5| 4| 3| 9| 15| 16| 45| ... Married couples | | | | | | | | | | | | 160 Appeared and confessed | 37| 65| 16| 3| 1| ..| 1| ..| ..| ..| ..| ... Pleaded guilty | 15| 9| 8| 1| 1| ..| ..| ..| ..| ..| ..| ... Pleaded not guilty, | | | | | | | | | | | | but convicted | 2| ..| 1| ..| ..| ..| ..| ..| ..| ..| ..| ... Wives[589] | | | | | | | | | | | | 31 Appeared and confessed | 2| 1| 3| ..| 1| ..| ..| ..| 1| ..| ..| ... Pleaded guilty | 3| ..| ..| ..| 1| 2| 6| 7| 4| ..| ..| ... +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----- Total | 85|115| 57| 32| 48| 33| 77| 68| 73| 52| 74| 714 -------------------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+----- This is especially true during the decade following 1715, there being five such confessions at one sitting of the court, four of them on one page of the record. [Footnote 588: In addition to the 714 cases comprised in the table, during the same period 73 single men, perhaps all involved in those cases, were before the court as follows: putative fathers, 54; settled out of court, 9; appeared and gave bond to save the town, 8; fornication, pleading guilty, 2. Of these one (1750) was fined £5; and one (1732) was given the choice of 10 shillings or ten stripes.] [Footnote 589: Fornication before marriage (presumably with husband).]