> I > sometimes think that we fail to take into account the deep-seated beliefs > and influence of contemporaries and parents, the prevailing social, > religious and moral beliefs and mores of our ancestors. Its a trap that many fall into - one of the reasons i try to get newbies to read some serious social history! A classic example is one of the consequences of "tenancies for three lives" so common in the past. It was more than a little important for generation 1 to know that generation 2 coud/would produce offspring who could take on the tenancy and thus ensure a roof over the heads of generation 1 - a lot of those ultra-short 1st pregnancies - let alone the "test" children born before the marriage were entirely NOT accidental one suspects! Hugh Ainsley