Common law was an all-male system, with one glaring exception: juries of matrons. If a convicted felon requested a reprieve from execution on the grounds of pregnancy, it was the responsibility of a group of twelve matrons to perform an inspection in order to determine if she was in fact pregnant. Matrons were in a position of great authority. Their verdicts were definitive: if they decided a woman was pregnant, then she was sent back to prison. Despite the significance of their role, little is known about medieval matrons and what qualified them to sit on a jury. Were they mothers? Honorable wives? Midwives? The goal of this paper is to argue that matrons had training in obstetrics. This was particularly important for medieval matrons because the quickening (that is ensoulment, signaled by the first fetal movements) did not become the focal point of the matrons' assessment until at least 1348. Before this, the diagnosis was much more medically challenging as matrons had to determine whether a felon had conceived. Overall, the medieval records demonstrate great confidence in medieval matrons and their obstetrical expertise.

中文翻译：

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不仅仅是母亲：中世纪英格兰的主妇陪审团和腹部恳求

普通法是一个全男性的制度，有一个明显的例外：主妇陪审团。如果被定罪的重罪犯以怀孕为由要求暂缓执行死刑，则由 12 名主妇组成的小组负责进行检查，以确定她是否确实怀孕了。主妇们处于非常权威的地位。他们的判决是明确的：如果他们确定一名妇女怀孕，则将她送回监狱。尽管她们的角色很重要，但人们对中世纪的主妇以及她们有资格担任陪审团的条件知之甚少。他们是母亲吗？贤妻良母？助产士？本文的目的是论证产妇接受过产科培训。这对中世纪的主妇来说尤其重要，因为提振精神（即灵魂，至少在 1348 年之前，第一次胎儿运动发出的信号）才成为主妇评估的焦点。在此之前，诊断在医学上更具挑战性，因为主妇必须确定重罪犯是否怀孕。总体而言，中世纪的记录显示出对中世纪主妇及其产科专业知识的极大信心。