This was extended to the colonies in 1696.
The penalty for cursing or swearing by a servant, day laborer,
soldier, or seaman is 1s. For others, it is 2s. The fine is
doubled for the second offense, and tripled for the third offense.
If an adult offender can't pay, he shall be put in the stocks for
one hour. If a child offender can't pay, he shall be whipped by
the constable or by a parent in the presence of the constable.
The equity courts are conceding limited proprietary rights to
married women by enforcing premarital settlements or trust
arrangements that designated certain property as a wife's separate
estate and exempted it from control by the husband. Such
protective devices generally reflected a father's desire to shield
his daughter from poverty and benefited only the landed
aristocracy in practice. Also, husbands are not allowed to punish
and beat their wives as before. But the lower rank of men were
slow to give this up. A wife could have the security of the peace
against her husband. He could restrain her liberty only for gross
misbehavior.
In 1685, the courts ruled that apprenticeships were necessary only
for servants hired by the year, thus exempting most wage laborers.
There were many variations in religious practices for statutes to
address. The Quakers and Baptists were opposed to any state
church. The Independents and Presbyterians accepted the idea of a
state church.
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