'Fly with a duck in thy mouth': single women as sources of credit in seventeenth-century England

This article reveals the changing patterns of credit provision offered by single (as yet never-married) women between 1601 and 1700. Drawing heavily on the probate records of five English counties, in addition to the accounting books of two single women, it confirms and develops existing work that highlights the wide dispersal of credit provision throughout the early modern community. It also points to a shift away from informal lending by single women towards more formalized credit agreements that were secured by legal instruments and capable of delivering a cash return. Furthermore it suggests that, as the seventeenth century progressed, single women became more deeply embedded within the credit market, increasing both the size of their debt and their relative significance as providers of capital. The consequences of this involvement may have been important for the women themselves, allowing them the possibility at least of an independent existence. But the broader ramifications of their lending within the early modern economy could have been of yet more critical value. The article concludes by suggesting that we may need to revise our understanding of the economic 'divergence' of England in the early modern period in light of the capital single women were able to contribute.