Russell, P. orcid.org/0000-0001-5564-1786 (2019) Re-tying the knot? Remarriage and divorce by consent in mid-Victorian England. American Journal of Legal History, 59 (2). pp. 257-285. ISSN 0002-9319
Abstract
This article examines the life circumstances of the mid-Victorian women who petitioned for dissolution of their marriage by commencing proceedings for nullity or divorce at the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes in two sample years, 1858 and 1868. The results of a longitudinal analysis of multiple source records relating to the women petitioners challenge currently accepted understandings of these proceedings. Contrary to official reports at the time, the majority of female petitioners in the sample years remarried and did so promptly, suggesting that the ability to regularise new unions (current or prospective) was an important consideration for them. The conduct of proceedings, considered in the context of the social and economic circumstances of the parties (including their age, occupation, and family size), reveals a heretofore undiscovered prevalence of undefended divorce and suggests, in effect, a tacitly accepted practice of divorce by consent.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in American Journal of Legal History. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Law (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 18 Jan 2019 08:57 |
Last Modified: | 28 Apr 2021 00:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/ajlh/njz009 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:140323 |