Might an "Irish woman" mean something else?

[jane k]

The sister of my 3 x great grandmother Phoebe Harding was in court in 1839 charged with stealing from her brother-in-law.  Phoebe was then unmarried and had 5 illegitimate children
I have found 3 newspaper reports of her trial - one describes her as a fornicator.  Another calls her an "Irish woman".  I have traced the family back to Phoebe`s grandparents and they all came from Stourbridge - no sign of an Irish connection.

At risk of offending anyone here, may I ask if in 1839 the term  "Irish woman" might have been used to describe a women perceived to have  "loose morals"?

[Andrew Tarr]

Nothing in my 1932 Webster's, but Partridge's Historical Slang (1972) has

Irish, adj.: a derogative, from 1690.  Probably from Irish uncouthness and lack of general education before C19.
(I have no shame reporting this as I had an Irish gt-grandmother) 

[Pennines]

I agree with Andrew - but I love Irish people, always so friendly and hospitable.

In fact my late husband was Irish and also my grandmother.
However - as a child in the town where I live, often people would say 'She looks like she comes from Back Mary Ann St.' -- when referring to any lady who looked rather unkempt or like a floozie.

Many years later, when I started family history - I discovered, by accident that there used to be a Mary Ann St in the town - AND - it was mainly inhabited by Irish people.

Just how insulting to Irish people was that comment!!

However, having said all that, I am not sure whether a Newspaper report of a Court case would describe someone as 'Irish' unless they actually were.

[Andrew Tarr]

Just how insulting to Irish people was that comment!!

I suspect every nation has (or had) neighbours who bore the brunt of ridicule from time to time - Dutch courage, French letters, German measles, Spanish fly ....  Taffy was a Welshman .. (I have two Welsh-born grandmothers).

When I lived in Ontario the joke was always on French Canadians across the river.  In other provinces it might be Poles or Ukrainians.  When I visited New Zealand the joke was that when a Kiwi moved to Oz it improved the average IQ of both nations.  Probably that one gets used all over the world.

[Pennines]

Oh Andrew - I have never heard the joke about when a Kiwi moved to Oz - that is SO funny!

[jane k]

Thanks very much for all of those.
I really can`t find any links to Ireland for that branch of the family.  There are 3 newspaper reports of the case and that particular one does use rather "imaginative" language. Amongst other things it states that she was holding "an interesting baby"!?

I am pleased to say that in later years Phoebe married and lived a long and apparently blameless life