A 01 - A Historical Look at the Minister's Wife

Chapter I A Historical Look at the Minister’s Wife

FEW may realize it, but a bare three hundred and fifty years ago this book would have been directed to a segment of the population in England that had no legal existence; that is, it was not until 1804 under the reign of James I that the matter of a married clergy received state recognition. To be sure, ministers had married before that time, though sometimes at a risk to their own lives. All of this is to say that the minister’s wife has a most interesting history. She can better understand her present status by a clearer understanding of her past. This chapter is devoted to that end.