Breach of Promise to Marry : A History of How Jilted Brides Settled Scores

'The marriage day was fixed, the wedding dresses were bought, the wedding tour was planned out, the wedding guests were invited. The day came but not the bridegroom...' While Dickens' embittered spinster Miss Havisham stopped all her clocks on her wedding day and 'never since looked upon the light of day', the reality was much brighter for thousands of jilted women. The real Miss Havisham's didn't mope in faded wedding finery – they hired lawyers and struck the first 'no-win, no fee' deals to sue for breach of promise. From the 1790s right up to the 1960s, jilted women (and sometimes rejected suitors) employed a range of tactics to bring false lovers to book. Denise Bates uncovers over 1,000 forgotten cases of women who found very different endings to their fictional counterparts: Mary Ann Smith forged evidence of a courtship to entrap an Earl. Catherine Kempsall shot the man who denied their engagement, Gladys Knowles was awarded a record £10,000 in damages by a jury in 1890, Daisy Mons discreetly negotiated a £50,000 settlement from a Lord Based on original research, this social history of breach of promise shows that when men behaved badly hell had no fury like a woman scorned! The Marriage Day Was Fixed, The Wedding Dresses Were Bought, The Wedding Tour Was Planned Out, The Wedding Guests Were Invited. The Day Came But Not The Bridegroom...'??while Dickens' Embittered Spinster Miss Havisham Stopped All Her Clocks On Her Wedding Day And 'never Since Looked Upon The Light Of Day', The Reality Was Much Brighter For Thousands Of Jilted Women. The Real Miss Havisham's Didn't Mope In Faded Wedding Finery – They Hired Lawyers And Struck The First 'no-win, No Fee' Deals To Sue For Breach Of Promise. ??from The 1790s Right Up To The 1960s, Jilted Women (and Sometimes Rejected Suitors) Employed A Range Of Tactics To Bring False Lovers To Book. Denise Bates Uncovers Over 1,000 Forgotten Cases Of Women Who Found Very Different Endings To Their Fictional Counterparts: ??mary Ann Smith Forged Evidence Of A Courtship To Entrap An Earl. Catherine Kempsall Shot The Man Who Denied Their Engagement, Gladys Knowles Was Awarded A Record £10,000 In Damages By A Jury In 1890, Daisy Mons Discreetly Negotiated A £50,000 Settlement From A Lord ??based On Original Research, This Social History Of Breach Of Promise Shows That When Men Behaved Badly Hell Had No Fury Like A Woman Scorned!??as Featured On Woman's Hour, In The Daily Express, Irish Mail On Sunday, Sheffield Star, Discover Your History Magazine, Eastern Daily Press, Portsmouth News, Norwich Evening News, Glossop Chronicle, Tameside Reporter And Hull Daily Mail A look back through the history of women who were about to be married only to be left at the altar—and left with no choice but to take their revenge. A wedding day is supposed to be the happiest, most special and blessed event in a bride's life. And most of the time, it is. But sometimes, it is not. In this fun, fascinating look at betrothals that went bust before anyone even said “I do,” the authors have collected the true stories of what happened when the groom suddenly decided “I don't.” From the 1780s right up to the 1970s, jilted women (and the occasional crushed suitor) employed a range of tactics to bring false lovers to book. Here is a full wedding party of cases in which women found very different kinds of happy endings, such as Mary Elizabeth Smith who forged evidence of a courtship to entrap an Earl, Catherine Kempsall who shot the man who denied their engagement, Gladys Knowles who was awarded a record £10,000 in damages by a jury in 1890, and Daisy Mons who discreetly negotiated a £50,000 settlement from a nobleman. Based on original research, this social history of breach of promise shows that when men behaved badly, hell had no fury like a woman scorned. A fascinating history of sex and relationships. Breach of Promise was an archaic legal action brought about by a jilted lover (male or female) when their former intended broke off their engagement. This is the first ever non-academic book on the topic and reveals a fascinating romantic and legal underworld from the 1790s - 1960s. This is a fascinating history of sex and relationships, revealing the romantic and legal underworld from the 1790s to the 1960s