Genealogy Chat

Hello again Jan
I will have a look again in BMD and see if I can spot the marriage.
If I can't, I will certainly get back to you via a PM. The youngest daughter is still alive and still bitter at the age of 82. He was a travelling salesman, so managed to keep his real wife as well.
I don't want to put too many details here.
thanks for your offer.

A couple of years ago, I was helping someone on GR trace their family


Finally found one of her ancestors who had married, marriage obviously broke down, each had then got a new partner, and more children were born



The thing that amazed me was that they all stayed in the area, went to the same church as previously, and all the children of the new unions were baptized at that church



so the vicar had to have known!



I didn't find a bigamous marriage for either of them though ................ the wife just assumed a different surname!



sylvia

My friend ran a one name study and often ordered certificates from the GRO index in order to further her research and sort out the families.

She ordered a particular marriage cert. from the GRO but there must have been a 'flag' on their index, because she received a note to say that the names had been found in the index, but it was not possible to issue a certificate.
As we had a fair idea of where the marriage might have taken place, - and hoping it was a church marriage, I found it on a fiche of parish registers and we were able to see that, as suspected, the bride was marrying bigamously.


Gwyn

but only if it has been proved to be bigamous


................. the fact that he told the second "wife" doesn't result in any action


Her shredding the marriage certificate would only have satisfied her!



I think it has to go to court, and he has to be found guitly of bigamy.

It would be made Void-- Annuled and removed from the entry at the General Registrar records and no certificate can be re-issued although a slim chance it may appear in the GRO indexex as lawfully it is classed as never taken place.

Lesley, I think the question is whether the record would be removed/amended if bigamy was proven. I have no idea, have you?
jan

Certainly 100 years or more ago it was very common for couples to split up, give slightly different Christian names and wed, divorce was very expensive. I have a man in my tree whose two 'wives'!! gave birth three months apart an the same area and on the second marriage cert he gave a slightly different Christian name. The Registrars did not check details at all.

If they are no longer living you could put info on here, or PM me if recent and I'll have a crack at it.
Jan

I will have another look forthe record of the marriage . It was a shock to the mother to find she had been duped, and to the children to find they were actually illegitmate.
thanks jan

I suppose the easiest thing is to look for it! She might not have reported him. A very interesting question though, will be interested to find out the answer.
Jan

If a lady married a man who was already married, in a register office and with a marriage certificate, would this be in the bmd records somewhere?
They had 3 children before he told her, 2 of which I have found in his surname. She was seen to shred the certificate, but how would the marriage be nullified in legal terms?