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Marriage to Sister In Law - when was it made legal
Profile | Posted by | Options | Post Date |
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Ceinwen | Report | 15 Aug 2010 15:07 |
I am a bit confused on when it was made legal to marry the sister of your deceased wife. I think I read somewhere that until 1907 this was illegal. However, my grandad's sister married a George Miles (shown as Myles in most records I've found) in 1901. Later that year she died in childbirth. In 1904 George married Sarah's sister Hannah Maria (shown as Anna Maria in the marriage index). Everyone in the family was aware of it, as were it seems just about everyone else in the small Welsh mining village where they and the family lived. No one seemed to frown on it. |
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Ceinwen | Report | 15 Aug 2010 15:28 |
Ann |
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KeithInFujairah | Report | 15 Aug 2010 15:37 |
In Great Britain, the Marriage Act of 1835 made marriages between widows or widowers and their siblings in-law absolutely illegal. |
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Ceinwen | Report | 15 Aug 2010 16:02 |
Thanks for the clarification Keith. I thought as much. |
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Liz 47 | Report | 15 Aug 2010 17:13 |
I think you can marry the brother/sister of your divorced spouse now - I know of two people who have married their husband's brothers. |
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Researching: |
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InspectorGreenPen | Report | 15 Aug 2010 20:25 |
Despite Canon Law outlawing such marriages it was very common, and was not frowned on at all in many communities. After all it was a practical solution when a mother died leaving a young family. |