Marriage, Sex, and the Church of Scotland: Exploring Non-Conformity Amongst the Lower Orders
The history of marriage amongst the Scottish lower orders in the eighteenth century has largely been a story of sexual discipline by the Kirk (Church of Scotland). As much of this history has been produced through kirk session records the arm of the church that monitored sexual morality and marita...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2019]
|
In: |
Journal of religious history
Year: 2019, Volume: 43, Issue: 2, Pages: 163-179 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Church of Scotland
/ Sexual ethics
/ Marriage
/ Nonconformism
|
IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CH Christianity and Society KBF British Isles KDE Anglican Church NCF Sexual ethics |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | The history of marriage amongst the Scottish lower orders in the eighteenth century has largely been a story of sexual discipline by the Kirk (Church of Scotland). As much of this history has been produced through kirk session records the arm of the church that monitored sexual morality and marital conformity this is often construed as a story of contest between the church and a resistant lower orders, trying to negotiate alternative forms of family life. Using kirk session and secular court records and popular literature, this article explores how religious belief shaped sexual and marital behaviour, particularly non-conformity, during this period. It examines the Kirk's interpretation of chastity and marriage, how these ideas filtered into popular culture and were used by the lower orders to negotiate their own sexual and marital behaviour and relationship to the Church. It argues that the Kirk's varying attitude to marital and sexual non-conformity meant that marital non-conformity was less significant than sexual sin in the popular and religious imagination. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1467-9809 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious history
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12580 |