Genealogy Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Quick Search

Single word search

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

Divorces

ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Warwicksoption

Warwicksoption Report 8 Dec 2014 22:42

Greetings
I am making inquiries in to an old family member and found he had a conviction for being married twice. I have both marriage certificates for the member, but following inquiries have found both opposing parties remarried many years later.

I take it that a divorce must have been granted somewhere in England, and wonder if anyone has any idea how I could check out whether that occurred, or was it a matter of bigamy again. What was the practice in the late 1800's to early 1900's.
Cheers
Warwick

Kay????

Kay???? Report 8 Dec 2014 23:16

national archive uk,

there are a number of divorce records that are listed up till about 1939ish,,,,,,,but is incomplete of all that was ever granted,the full divorce record can be bought via the site,,,,,,,the search just gives names,year and respondant/co- repondant. (if any) and year.

just put divorce in the search box.

was plain ann now annielaurie

was plain ann now annielaurie Report 8 Dec 2014 23:28

Also bear in mind that most people could not afford to divorce at that time. They might just have gone ahead and married again.

Warwicksoption

Warwicksoption Report 9 Dec 2014 00:03

Many thanks for your thoughts.
Warwick

jax

jax Report 9 Dec 2014 04:18

There are detailed divorce records on ancestry from 1858- 1911

Warwicksoption

Warwicksoption Report 9 Dec 2014 04:55

Many thanks for that.
Cheers
Warwick

ElizabethK

ElizabethK Report 9 Dec 2014 08:58

If he second marriage occured while the first wife was still alive then it would have been illegal-not valid-so would a divorce have been needed ?

Jacqueline

Jacqueline Report 9 Dec 2014 09:43

The second 'marriage' was not valid, so no divorce would have been necessary

Warwicksoption

Warwicksoption Report 9 Dec 2014 10:19

Hi
Thanks for the info. It seems that the second marriage is the important marriage and he in fact married the 2nd lady again about 1967. That being the case the first marriage would have to be taken from the records. It seems the 1st lady also remarried in 1940 so she would have done something anyway.
Cheers

Jacqueline

Jacqueline Report 9 Dec 2014 14:18

Your original post gave an entirely false picture with regard to time-scale.

The mid -20th century was a much different era, and divorce was easier to obtain

The first marriage would NOT have been expunged from the records, as it was the LEGAL one, regardless of whether the man eventually made a legal contract with the woman with whom he committed bigamy

jax

jax Report 9 Dec 2014 17:27

So what has late 1800s to early 1900s got to do with these people who married in the 1960s?

I only mentioned what was on ancestry because of the dates you gave....you are unlikey to find any record of divorce after 1937

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 9 Dec 2014 18:05

The following link will tell you about what Divorce records survive and how to search for Decrees nisi and absolute where the case files have been destroyed

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/divorce.htm

Warwicksoption

Warwicksoption Report 9 Dec 2014 18:28

Many thanks for the help. I don't need anything after the mid 30's - I think the UK National Archives are what i am looking for.
Many thanks everyone for the help.
Cheers