coverte

Upon marriage, she became a feme coverte; a single woman, by contrast, maintained her own legal identity as feme sole. back

Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

Of course, the woman who was most constrained by the formal legal system was the married woman, the feme coverte, with no formal legal identity separate from her husband's.

Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

Most restricted was the married woman, the feme coverte, who could not own property in her own right, enter into contracts without her husband's permission, sue or be sued.

Gutenber-e Help Page 2005

Now, it not being convenient to that gentleman to part with so considerable a sum, he gave them both to understand that he knew too much of the law to conceive himself bound by an instrument made to a femme coverte, and consequently, if he expected payment, it should only be obtained by a legal process. —

Ashton Priory Anonymous 1792

In a closing plea to the Almighty, he invoked a striking religious metaphor: "O cheryshe usse like the sweete Chickenne thatte under the coverte offe herre spreadynge Wings Receyves herre lyttle Broode ande hoverynge overre themme keepes themme harmlesse ande in safetye - Wm Shakspeare."

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