Skip to content Skip to navigation

Sarah Ketson (John) and Ann Hutchinson

18th century English women who unsuccessfully tried to marry, with Ketson passing as a man named John.

LHMP entry

[Note: I’d like to remind readers of my convention that my commentary and critique of articles is typically enclosed in square brackets, unless it’s clear enough from context that I’m speaking in my own voice. Otherwise non-bracketed text is meant to be understood as a summary of the article.

Donoghue’s second conceptual cluster in this analysis is the “female husband” motif. That is, not simply women passing as men, but doing so in a context where they courted and/or married other women. The chapter begins with a general note on the prevalence of this type of event and the wide variety of superficial motivations for passing.

Subscribe to Sarah Ketson (John) and Ann Hutchinson