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Common Law Marriages :- please explain
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Ann L from Darlo | Report | 30 Jan 2004 10:01 |
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Thanks to you all for this info, like Fred I too have been looking for a marriage in the mid 1800's and can't find it,Gt Granda married a widow and went on to have 5 children even tho she had 5 already so I will presume they never married! On one census her children were named in the second husband's name and in the census 10 years later they were changed to her first husband's name??!! Regards Ann |
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Twinkle | Report | 30 Jan 2004 00:37 |
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After a couple have been cohabiting for a while, then their living arrangements can be described as common law marriage. In the 1800s the most common reason was financial - people couldn't afford a wedding or couldn't afford to divorce their previous partner. There aren't records, unless on another document they were refered to as 'common-law'. This is unlikely, as it was strongly disapproved of. Most people would have lied, changed their surname and pretended to be properly, legally married. Obviously, there's no real way of knowing how common it was if no-one admitted it, but I bet you anything there was a lot of it going on! |
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Geoff | Report | 28 Jan 2004 21:24 |
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Something I found:- "In the distant past the British recognized common law marriages by declaring a man and woman married by virtue of living together and telling the world they were married. Although England abolished common law marriages in 1753, some of the American colonies, and later some states, recognized these informal marriages. Massachusetts, however, outlawed common law marriage in 1646. " |
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Robin | Report | 28 Jan 2004 20:28 |
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It basically means living together as man and wife without going through a form of ceremony.If that was the case it would not be registered. |
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Frederick | Report | 28 Jan 2004 20:23 |
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I have been trying with no success to trace the dates etc. of my grandparent's and great grandparent's marriages in the mid and late 1800's. I can establish roughly where and when the marriages took place from census returns and the registrations of their children's births but I can find no records of their marriages. It has been suggested to me that their's could have been "Common Law Marriages" so can anyone please explain :- 1. What was a common law marriage. 2. Were they common in the 1800's. 3. Why did they take place. 4. Did they have to be recorded and if so, where are the records kept. If anyone can throw light on these questions their help will be greatly appreciated. My thanks in advance. Fred Birt |
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