Mother Bunch

Many chapbook stories play on the themes of mysticism and magic, and the tale of Mother Bunch is no exception. Mother Bunch was a popular character who appeared throughout English folklore during the 18th century, and relates the advice and prophecies of an older widowed woman to those who sought her council. Mother Bunch would usually utilize her powers to prophecy on matters of the heart and romance:

When she found herself full twenty years old, she thought her luck worse than some, who were married at fifteen or sixteen, which much troubled her mind; but to prevent all doubts, she resolved to teach other maidens.

In addition to her mystical abilities, Mother Bunch was well known for her comedic personality and sense of humour, which added to the appeal of the story. At the beginning, whilst she laments the death of her third husband, she then ‘has a great desire for a fourth.’ Later on her walk, she ‘espies a young maid’ who was troubled, as she was the eldest of three sisters and still has not found a husband. Upon hearing this trouble, Mother Bunch advises her to:

Page of text and a woodcut image of Mother Bunch giving advice to a young lady. With a decorative headpieceobserve St. Agnes’s day…and on that day let no man salute thee; and at night, before thou goest to bed, put on the best clean shift thou hast, and when thou liest down, lay thy right hand under thy head, and say these words, Now the god of love send me desires, then go to sleep as soon as possible, and you shall be sure to dream of him who will be your husband, and see him stand before you and may take notice of him and his complexion; and if he offer to salute thee do not deny him, but show him as much favour as though canst; but if he offers to be uncivil, be sure hold your legs together.

While this story was originally written for comedic purposes, we can already discern the underlying themes related to gender that are often found in other chapbook tales. The passage ‘be sure hold your legs together’ alludes to the constraints placed on female sexual desire and freedom. It suggests that the young maid’s sexuality is not her own, but rather something that must be controlled and repressed.

Furthermore, this constant anxiety surrounding unmarried women is a stigma that ran through and was perpetuated in 18th century society. According to English common law, once a woman married, she would lose her legal identity, as she was passed from the legal authority of her father to that of her husband. The law gave her husband complete control over her property and eventually her body, leading to significant power imbalances in marital relationships, similar to Meg’s loss of power once she married. These legal limitations had an even more profound impact on the social status of unmarried women, who were often viewed with suspicion and pity, as they lacked the legal protection and economic security that came with marriage.

According to the historian, Amanda Vickery, ‘The unmarried woman was regarded with suspicion and condescension. She was outside the social order, a potential threat to the community.’ Accordingly, Mother Bunch, the wise old woman, concerns herself with her next marriage when her last one is not even cold in the ground.

However, despite the societal stigma surrounding unmarried women in the 18th century, let us not forget that Mother Bunch was also a strong female character who defied the norms of her time. She used her mystical abilities to help others, especially in matters of the heart. And despite the challenges she faced as an unmarried woman in a society that placed little value on female independence, Mother Bunch never lost her sense of humour and comedic personality.

These stories prove that the female figure was restricted in literature as well as in society; and the virgin-whore dichotomy serves to reinforce a binary portrayal of women that reflects the patriarchal society in which they were produced. Although some tales provided positive depictions, many of them carried negative undertones which further added to how women were perceived in society. That they resonate with audiences today is largely due to the insight they offer into a world outside the dominant literary canon, and they are all the more valuable for that.

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