Legal Definitions - rapture

The term rapture is an archaic legal term, meaning it is no longer commonly used in modern legal contexts. Historically, it referred to:

• Forcible Seizure and Carrying Off: The unlawful and violent taking and carrying away of a person against their will. This often specifically referred to the abduction of a woman.
• Rape: In some historical contexts, it was also used to describe the act of rape.

Here are some examples illustrating the historical application of the term:

• Example 1: Dynastic Abduction

  In a medieval kingdom, a powerful baron, aiming to secure a strategic alliance or claim to land, might have orchestrated the rapture of a neighboring lord's daughter. His men would forcibly seize her from her home and transport her to his castle, intending to compel her into marriage against her will.

  This example illustrates the historical meaning of rapture as the forcible seizure and carrying off of a person, particularly a woman, for purposes such as forced marriage or political gain.

• Example 2: Forced Dispossession

  During a period of widespread land enclosure in the 17th century, a wealthy landowner might have ordered the rapture of a tenant farmer and his family from their cottage. His agents would forcibly remove them from their dwelling and land, allowing the landowner to consolidate the property for his own use.

  Here, rapture describes the unlawful and violent removal of individuals from their home and land, demonstrating its application to acts of forced dispossession and abduction from one's dwelling.

• Example 3: Impressment into Service

  In the 18th century, a naval press gang might have engaged in the rapture of able-bodied men from coastal towns. These men would be forcibly seized from their daily lives—perhaps from a tavern or a street—and compelled into service aboard a warship against their consent.

  This scenario shows rapture referring to the forcible taking and carrying away of individuals for involuntary service, highlighting its use in contexts of impressment or forced recruitment.