Ridiculous History CLASSIC: English Men Used to Sell Their Wives
Jan 12, 2026
In 17th-century England, divorce was nearly impossible for the lower classes, leading to the peculiar practice of 'wife selling.' Couples would auction wives in public markets, mimicking livestock sales with ropes and halters. Some wives consented, gaining more agency than traditional divorce allowed. The practice danced on the edge of legality, often overlooked by authorities. Documented examples show bizarre auction speeches, while buyers ranged from unlucky suitors to wealthy intermediaries. The phenomenon faded with evolving divorce laws and changing societal views.
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Wife Selling As A Divorce Loophole
- Between 1780 and 1850 some English couples used public "wife selling" to end marriages they could not legally dissolve.
- The practice functioned as an informal loophole that authorities often ignored and that resembled a staged auction rather than formal divorce.
Divorce Was Essentially For The Wealthy
- Formal divorce required a private act of Parliament and church approval, costing thousands of pounds and remaining out of reach for most.
- That high cost and legal exclusivity pushed working-class people toward informal solutions like wife selling.
Consensual Sales Could Aid Women's Agency
- Records suggest most wife sales were consensual and sometimes gave women more agency than legal annulment.
- Economists argue the practice improved matching by letting unhappy spouses trade into better arrangements.