Ann Marrow c. 1777 England
gouache on paper, 11 x 7 inches
2011
In the collection of the Davis Museum at Wellesley College
Ann Marrow was convicted of fraud in July of 1777. She was found guilty of “going in men’s clothes and personating a man in marriage, with three different women …, and defrauding them of their money and effects.” It is unclear if these accusations of theft were true, as there is no record of Marrow’s side of the story. She was sentenced to three months in prison and to stand in the pillory at Charing Cross in London on July 22, 1777. It is said that she was pelted so severely by the spectators, “particularly the female part,” that she was blinded in both eyes. Her fate after serving her sentence is unknown.
Sources:
Hitchcock, Tim. English Sexualities, 1700-1800. Ed. Jeremy Black. London: Macmillan Press, 1997.
Norton, Rictor. “Lesbian Marriages in 18th century England”, Lesbian History, 18 August 2009, updated 11 February 2010.
Ó Danachair, Donal. ed. “Ann Marrow Pilloried at Charing Cross, 22nd of July, 1777, for Marrying Three Women.” The Newgate Calendar Vol. 4 (2009): 312. Ex-classics Project. Web. 2011.