The trial of Thomas Frogbrook: bestiality and the law in an early sixteenth-century English rural community

Tim Wingard

doi:10.1093/hisres/htac011

The trial of Thomas Frogbrook: bestiality and the law in an early sixteenth-century English rural community

Tim Wingard

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Abstract

This article examines the gap between legal theory and practice regarding bestiality in late medieval England. It focuses on a microhistorical analysis of a 1520 trial heard in Chichester consistory court, integrating other archival documents, legislation and legal commentaries to illustrate local and national contexts. I argue first that personal enmity rather than a moralizing agenda was the primary motivating factor in this case, and second that this trial illustrates the broader limitations of English church courts and the system of canon law in affecting popular attitudes to ‘unnatural’ intercourse and in the suppression of such acts.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	506–521
Number of pages	16
Journal	Historical Research
Volume	95
Issue number	270
Early online date	4 Jul 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/hisres/htac011
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

10.1093/hisres/htac011Licence: CC BY

The trial of Thomas Frogbrook: bestiality and the law in an early sixteenth-century English rural community
© The Author(s) 2022
Final published version, 182 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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