Until 1828 in the U.K., a wife killing her husband committed ‘petty’ or ‘petit’ treason, not murder, as the law deemed this a crime against the social order. The penalty was burning at the stake, until replaced by hanging in 1790.
Tag Archives: petit treason
An article based on my research related to spousal murders in early nineteenth-century Montreal: Petit Treason Threatened the Social Order (Montreal Gazette, January 8, 2016) … Continue reading
Until 1828 in the U.K., a wife killing her husband committed petty treason, not murder. The penalty was generally burning at the stake. … Continue reading