Housewives and Old Wives: Sex and Superstition in English Beekeeping

This chapter analyzes the gendered nature of English beekeeping from the seventeenth century until the early twentieth century with strong emphasis on changes that unfolded during the long nineteenth century. It argues that historians’ interpretations of early modern texts have potentially overemphasized women’s predominance in beekeeping, but there is a strong case for an increased masculinization of beekeeping evidenced in the literature of the long nineteenth century. Evidence from nineteenth-century beekeeping societies confirm that women were a significant, but minority, presence in organizations that promoted scientific and humane beekeeping methods by the late nineteenth century. Cultural contests between superstition and scientific-humane management factored in the increased prominence of rhetoric denouncing rural superstition and the “old wives” that allegedly perpetuated such beliefs and practices. The overall study contributes to a more complete understanding of a form of livestock husbandry that was significant in many English households throughout the period under review.