Until the first Divorce Court was established in 1857 it was common practice for men to trade their unwanted spouses like any other possession.

Before the Divorce Court was established, the only legal way of disposing of an unwanted spouse was by Act of Parliament. This process would have cost about £3,000 in the 19th century (That's over $42,000 in modern day values).

This sum was far beyond the means of most people. But it was firmly established in the popular mind, particularly in the poorer areas like the West Midlands, that a wife could be bought and sold in the same way as any other good or service.

In Staffordshire, for example, the custom of wife selling followed a fairly rigid pattern. A man in search of freedom took his wife to market, with a length of rope attached to her neck. He paid a toll that gave him the right to sell merchandise, then paraded her around the market extolling her virtues. Interested males would then bid for her in a general auction.

Once a bid was accepted the husband would hand over the toll ticket as proof of ownership, and the trio would then retire to the inn and seal the deal with a beer or two. Despite the lowly position of the wives in these transactions, most accepted the custom as a satisfactory way of ending an unhappy marriage.

In many instances the sale was agreed by mutual consent before the auction commenced. However, it was accepted practice that the formality of the market place auction would always be conducted.