Unmarried pregnant women - and the men who caused their pregnancies - were targeted by Scottish church courts determined to maintain a godly society. Sin in the City provides unique glimpses into the thoughts, feelings and actions of ordinary men and women living in the Scottish cities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh, where records are even richer than their rural counterparts.

We share a universality with the emotions and circumstances of 18th and early 19th century couples. Married in church, if they "promised" themselves to one another or following seduction, the records of disputed marriages open a window into the private and domestic lives of men and wom en at a time when modern law was being formed.