 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(May 2024) |
In medieval England, childwite (or childwit) was a fine levied by the feudal lord on the reputed father when an unmarried unfree woman gave birth to a child. The Oxford English Dictionary cites the following use of the term from 1672: "Within the Mannor of Writtle in Com. Essex, every reputed Father of a Bastard gotten there, pays to the Lord for a Fine three shillings four pence, and the custome is there also called Childwit." [1]
