This volume has been many years in the making. I first discovered examples of wives and husbands suing each other in Requests in 1989 while pursuing doctoral research. Pat Stretton and Jane Martindale independently suggested that the cases were worthy of publication, and Jane helped to bring this idea to the attention of the literary editors of the Royal Historical Society. I thank them both. Since then the editors of the Camden Series, Andrew Pettegree and Ian Archer, have provided support and shown unstinting patience for a project that has seasonally burst the banks of its projected deadlines. I am grateful to them, to the anonymous reviewer of the original proposal for pointing out the need to determine the frequency with which cases of this type came into Requests, and to the National Archives for permitting the cases to be reproduced. For financial support I wish to acknowledge the generosity of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, grant-giving bodies within Waikato University, Dalhousie University, and Saint Mary's University, and Lyndan Warner. A number of scholars, archivists, and friends have provided advice as well as technical help in identifying legal counsel, deciphering handwriting, and translating Latin abbreviations. I would like to thank Christopher Brooks, Sara Butler, Sabina Flannagan, Elizabeth Foyster, Lamar Hill, Martin Holt, Wilfrid Prest, and the helpful staff at the National Archives, especially Amanda Bevan, Sean Cunningham, Alistair Hanson, and Malcolm Mercer. All of them are absolved of responsibility for any of the errors that remain. For the generosity of their hospitality during the compiling and editing of this volume, I would like to offer my gratitude to Gareth Edwards, Frances Wedgwood, Nick Manglaras, Francesca Amirato, and the Tewsons. Final thanks go to Lyndan Warner, for her support, her comments on the introduction, and her willingness to look after our children while I made annual visits to London and Kew.
Transformations through “Community-First” Engagement
