 Wife selling appears to have been widespread throughout England , but relatively rare in neighbouring Wales , where only a few cases were reported , and in Scotland where only one has been discovered . The English county with the highest number of cases between 1760 and 1880 was Yorkshire , with 44 , considerably more than the 19 reported for Middlesex and London during the same period , despite the French caricature of <unk> John Bull " booted and spurred , in [ London 's ] Smithfield Market , crying ' à <unk> livres ma femme ! ' [ £ 15 for my wife ] , while Milady stood <unk> in a pen " . 
