These cases have been selected and transcribed by Laura Gowing, Professor of Early Modern History at King’s College London.
Jean Buckly in Cheapside, 26 years. Monday 19 September 1597, 8 am. Whether her master will put her away or no.
[Chart.]
She may stay if she will.
She lost a little quennell silver ring for 2s 3d /3 quinnells. [We don’t know what ‘quinnell’ means.]
Edition and image for CASE2537
Allis Kempton. Thursday, 8 October, 8.20 pm. Best to go or stay with her master.
Let her go at Christmas next & go southwest if she can.
Edition and image for CASE9776
Isabell Linwell, servant to Thomas Buncher of Paulus Perrye, 30 years old, no father nor mother. Tuesday 27 of March 1599, 1.30 pm. A high coloured woman & sweateth. Heart swollen in the body & legs & chest. Faint that she can do no work. Head & heart beats. Short winded. Has been amiss this 3 weeks. Wakes.
[In chart] Head and heart amiss.
A white thin water reasonable good. Quivers & shakes. Has not had her courses but in little quantity or not at all. Stitches in her side. No lust to eat anything.
Now cold, then hot & worse with cold. Was likely to have had a husband but that her friends were against it. [Treatment including jeralog, scammony and senna.]
Edition and image for CASE12154
Elisabeth Lee of Cublington, 33 years. Monday, 15 September 1600, 9 am. A servant. Her father dyed 2 years since.
Elisabeth Lee of Cublington, nata [born] 1567 [Sunday] being St Andrew’s day about evening prayer, betwixt 4 [and] 4 pm (sic) 1567.
Has been diverse times dissembled with. One made her stay 10 years & departed her & is married. The other, being Mr Fortescue’s grandson, has made her stay for him 9 years and now seems not to care much for her by reason of some false reports. She was likely the other day by the fall of a rotten barn to have been maimed. Has taken much grief. She will not now come to the her friend’s house as he was wont. Has taken much grief.
Let her talk with him September 21.
[Astrology.]
Consilium gratis [advice free].
Edition and image for CASE11285
Florence Tickle of Woulverton, servant to old Mrs Longueville, 19 years. Tuesday 19 February 1600, 1.30 pm. For the green sickness. Pale & white coloured.
An Wilson, young Mr Harry Longueville’s chamber maid, 21 years. Pale & ill coloured. Tuesday 19 February 1600, 1.30 pm.
Florence Tickle’s water very well coloured.
Ann Wilson’s well coloured but hath now white motes & rags.
Sometimes they are not able to go nor fetch their wind. Both faint & feeble & at death’s door. Florence Tickle had not her [w or n, false start on a word?] sickness [menses] never had it all.
Ann Wilson will faint & swoon with it.
Edition and image for CASE13098
An Kinge of Potters Perry, Mr Clarke’s servant, 25 years. Saturday 13 August 1603, 11.40 am. Was with me last Lent. Inquires an sit casta nec ne [whether chaste or not].
Very unwieldy in her body. Swollen mightily in her legs. Weeps for that she is accused. Has not had her sickness [menses] this 23 weeks. Denies her self to be with child. Chest worms in her body.
Edition and image for CASE13928
Francis Richmond, her serving maid at the same time for a silver porringer on Monday last it was seen. [27 August 1608, 5 pm.]
[Astrology.]
Edition and image for CASE34010
[Mary Robinson [Sandy]]. Tuesday 18 October 1608, 7.15 am. Utrum mela bonum sit retinere [whether it is good to keep] Elisabeth her needle woman.
[In chart] Her mistress did put her away. She was coarse to the children.
Edition and image for CASE35230
Margaret Web, Elisabeth Baldwin’s servant, Tuesday 7 April 1612, 1.20 pm. Is frighted with ill sights. A tickling in her legs. Mind troubled. Fears ill disposed people. An Neals & Bassets wife. Pain suddenly anywhere. Urine good. Has something that comes down before her terms like a bag. Fears bursting or mother.
[Treatment.]
Edition and image for CASE39575
Elizabeth Reeve of Haversham, 26 years, having a sore broken leg. Tuesday [19 January] 1613, 2.20 pm. Utrum [whether] Goody Feary her mistress stole away her money & apparel out of her coffer having a key unto it.
It will come to light.
Edition and image for CASE40813
Ellen Hands, servant to Sir John Temple of Staunton. Tuesday 18 July 1618, 6.30 am.
[In chart] Greensickness.
Back aches going or labouring. Never had them [menses]. Was so a year since.
I mean ill about her chest, heart, head & limbs. With a great laziness when she would labour or go about any business. But very well as long as she sits still. Neither eats fruit, salt or oatmeal. Has no great stomach [appetite]. Urine pale and thin. [Treatment.]
Edition and image for CASE47179
Anne Edmonds of London, 34 years. Saturday 18 December 1628, 6 pm.
[Right of page, running to bottom] My advice for her falling out with a woman, her landlady, midsummer last a twelvemonth. Fell out with her, & struck her about a sister in law of hers that lived with Mrs Edmonds. She struck her & gave her cursed words & one that followed her boy being 9 months old. Put her boy into a strange fit & so continued a good while & died in the end of the fever fits. The doctors said it was in shifting the boy into another house. Had no more fits for 14 weeks after. Then her lord lady’s sister her maid was warned by her to go out of her service. And Goody Crosse that had gotten her aforetimes & the maid leaving her to come to her old mistress that Goody Crosse that did help her to a service came railing to her & cursing Mistress Edmonds with bitter curses & said that she would make her to repent it for keeping of her servant. So her child fell into these fits again & so continued with 20, 30, 40 fits a day until it died. & the mother Mistress Edmonds dreamed that a woman did bewitch her child & Dr Lamb told her that Goody Crosse had bewitched her boy.
[Chart.]
And for herself is fallen into the same fits and craves my counsel. This Mistress Crosse did say that she did no more against her child than what she was set on.
Edition and image for CASE67498
Selected Cases in Full 