The Paxtons tended to use their daughters as poker chips in the long struggle over the Falstoff inheritance, and the Bishop of Norwich was drawn into this drama to arbitrate between mother and daughter. While the Bishop correctly upheld the Christian doctrine of marriage by consent, he was arguably disturbed by the potential threat to the institution of marriage.
I’ve not been able to find the case you describe. Googling “Paxton” together with “Falstoff” just takes me back to your comment. “Paxton family” doesn’t give me anything seemingly relevant either.
Anyway, I was hoping for something that would show me specifically that “For a thousand years before the mid nineteenth century, pretty much everyone agreed that equality between husbands and wives would destroy marriage and fatherhood.”, as you claimed. Especially the destruction of “fatherhood” part.
I’ve not been able to find the case you describe. Googling “Paxton” together with “Falstoff” just takes me back to your comment. “Paxton family” doesn’t give me anything seemingly relevant either.
Anyway, I was hoping for something that would show me specifically that “For a thousand years before the mid nineteenth century, pretty much everyone agreed that equality between husbands and wives would destroy marriage and fatherhood.”, as you claimed. Especially the destruction of “fatherhood” part.