A WIFE SOLD FOR FOURPFENCE.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 81, 22 January 1876, Page 3

A WIFE SOLD FOR FOURPFENCE.

Among the lower ohAscs in Lancashire there still lingers a belief that a man may legally sell him wife ; and such a t'uh; actually did take ■’.luce on Thursday night, at Blackburn, near Preston. Henry Hack worth, an occasional porter a-t tue railway station there, was drinking ia a public -house with a number of ocher men, when Hr wife, a comely, buxom woman a Bout 30 years of age, entered and asko.i him for some money. Duckworth sai l to her, “ i wish somebody would buy thee,” upon which William Ivobinson, a machine-maker, about 23 years old, remarked. “ I’ll bay her.” Duckworth at once made a bargain with him, and articles of sale, of which the following is a copy, were- drawn up and signed;—“ Nov. 4iii, 1875. This is to certify that I, Henry.Duckworth, do hereby sell irfy wife fvr fonrper.ee to William Robinson. Witness my hand f signed), Henry Duckworth. Wit-n-sses:—Junv 5 .- Mourn?, Michael Clarke William Robinson.” The , buyer then fogali'd the company with two quarts of, and lie and the woman -wont homo to his house together. On Friday afternoon they again visited the public-house, win-re -they mot with Duckworth," and and all M-erned very comfortable together. She doc-lares that sho' will n’ot leave Robinson, rend "Duckworth says that he is quite sr.thfiod with the bargain.