Mystery divorce and mystery marriage

[cimbrio]

I wonder, can anyone find a marriage between Adam Clarke and Mary Eacock (née Willoughby) circa 1884-1889? Both were from the Ledbury area and lived in Colwall.

Adam was born in Ledbury around 1821. He married Emma Clarke (I don't think she was a relative) in 1841 and had five children (James, Ann, Tirzah, Elizabeth and Adam Anthony) between 1844 and 1858. Adam's wife Emma died in 1887.

Mary Willoughby was born in Colwall, near Ledbury in 1855 (yes, much younger than Adam). In 1880 she married Thomas Eacock, who was her aunt's nephew-by-marriage. They had two sons: Arthur Henry (1881) and Gilbert William (1884).

Mary's marriage to Thomas was in some way terminated or dissolved because by 1891 she lived with Adam Clarke, by whom she had 6 more children. I assume her first marriage ended in divorce or was annulled because Thomas was very much alive, and died in 1904. But, if she was divorced, why can't I find a marriage between herself and Adam? His first wife died in 1887, so he was free to marry it seems. I also find it strange that the Clarke family lived for a time in Colwall, not far from Thomas Eacock. Curiously, his own son Gilbert William later used the surname "Clarke" as his own surname...

If Mary and Thomas were divorced, does anyone know where their divorce papers might be kept?
 

[KGarrad]

Have you considered that they may not have married?

The 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act allowed ordinary people to divorce. Before then, divorce was largely open only to men, and had to be granted by an Act of Parliament, which was hugely expensive, and therefore was also open only to the rich.

Under the new law, women divorcing on the grounds of adultery not only had to prove their husbands had been unfaithful but also had to prove additional faults, which included cruelty, rape and incest.

[cimbrio]

Hi KGarrad! Yes, I have thought that may be a possibility, supported by the fact that I can't trace their marriage certificate. However, if this were the case, and they never married, I find it strange that Thomas Eacock recorded himself as single in the 1891 census. Even more strange is the fact that his former wife Mary was recorded as Adam Clarke's wife that same year, and all three were living at the same time in Colwall, where surely everyone would have known that Thomas and Mary had been married before and that (perhaps) Adam and Mary had never gone through a marriage ceremony. I am aware of inaccuracies on the census, but would they have been allowed to lie so openly about their marital status?

[garstonite]

Have you considered Leacock as an alternative to Eacock under the marriage records ?
added
1880 - 1899 on freebmd
blank surname
adam
blank surname
mary
herefordshire
1 result Adam Lewis to Mary Richards 1888 in Abergavenny

so it doesn`t look like Mary and Adam did marry

[cimbrio]

Hi Garstonite! I hadn't, but a quick search just now showed no results. I've searched by only using Adam Clarke's name (spelt both Clark & Clarke), and no marriage seems to appear in Herefordshire between 1880 and 1900. A wider search in all counties yielded no results for an Adam Clarke and a Mary with an even remotely similar name to either Willoughby or Eacock.

[garstonite]

just added on to my post
1880 -1899
blank
adam
blank
mary
herefordshire              no sign of your Adam and Mary ever marrying

[KGarrad]

Hi KGarrad! Yes, I have thought that may be a possibility, supported by the fact that I can't trace their marriage certificate. However, if this were the case, and they never married, I find it strange that Thomas Eacock recorded himself as single in the 1891 census. Even more strange is the fact that his former wife Mary was recorded as Adam Clarke's wife that same year, and all three were living at the same time in Colwall, where surely everyone would have known that Thomas and Mary had been married before and that (perhaps) Adam and Mary had never gone through a marriage ceremony. I am aware of inaccuracies on the census, but would they have been allowed to lie so openly about their marital status?

With divorce being so inaccessible to most people, I think people just moved in together and everyone assumed they were married?

And don't dismiss wife-selling!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wife_selling_%28English_custom%29

[cimbrio]

KGarrad, I think you may have found the answer that I was looking for How interesting!

Thank you!