Hi Alan
Just noticed this thread, the name ‘Richard Mansell’ having caught my eye.
Many years ago I was looking through the Gloucester Diocesan records and I noticed an interesting case in the consistory court concerning a Richard Mansell of Winchcombe and the two Long sisters that he married in the late 18th / early 19th centuries. In those days it was against church law for a man to marry his dead wife’s sister, although I believe that by the end of the 19th century things had changed.
The notes I made at the time were on my Psion 3a PDA, and in those days (the mid-1990s) I tended to capture data using caps only:-
NULLITY OF MARRIAGE BY REASON OF INCEST: WM TRINDER YEOMAN OF ASHCHURCH v RICHARD MANSELL AND ANN LONG FALSELY CALLED MANSELL. JUDGEMENT:"THAT ON OR ABOUT 31 MAY 1798 RICHARD MANSELL OF W. AND MARY LONG DID CONTRACT A TRUE AND LAWFUL MARRIAGE AND LIVED TOGETHER UNTIL MARY MANSELL DEPARTED THIS LIFE. ON OR ABOUT 8 FEB 1808 A PRETENDED MARRIAGE WAS SOLEMNIZED OR RATHER PROPHANED BETWEEN RICHARD MANSELL AND ANN LONG FALSELY CALLED ANN MANSELL SISTER OF THE SAID MARY MANSELL BY PUBLICATION OF BANNS IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF BISHOPS CLEEVE....BY REASON OF THE FORMER MARRIAGE" THURS 14 DEC 1820
MARY WAS FROM BISHOPS CLEEVE AND SHE WAS MARRIED THERE ON 31 MAY 1798 TO RICHARD MANSELL BY MOSES DAVIES, OFFICIATING VICAR. HER SISTER ANN AND RICHARD MANSELL WERE MARRIED BY SAMUEL PICKERING, RECTOR, IN THE SAME CHURCH ON 8 FEB 1808. A WITNESS AT BOTH WEDDINGS WAS THOS TARLING, PARISH CLERK. (MARY, ANN AND RICHARD ALL MADE A MARK - NONE COULD WRITE). AFTERWARDS RICHARD MANSELL AND ANN LIVED IN THE PARISH OF W. AND SEVERAL 0THER PARISHES AND PUBLIC PLACES ADJACENT THERETO. AND SO MUCH THEY KNOW AND BELIEVE AND HATH CONFESSED THE SAME TO BE TRUE. RICHARD AND ANN WERE LIVING IN W. WHEN THEY WERE CITED ON 8 JAN 1819.
SECOND CITATION ON 10 FEB 1819 INDICATES THAT RICHARD MANSELL WAS A LABOURER AND "HAVING BEEN SOME TIME DILIGENTLY SOUGHT FORBY OUR SAID MANDATORY JAMES SESSIONS WITH AN INTENT OF PERSONALLY CITING HIM IF HE COULD DO SO, BUT HE SO HIDING AND CONCEALING HIMSELF CANNOT BE CITED. WE THEREFORE STRICTLY COMMAND THAT IF HE CANNOT BE PERSONALLY CITED THAT THIS CITATION BE PUBLICLY AFFIXED ON THE GATES OR OUTWARD DOORS OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF W. ON THE NEXT LORDS OR FESTIVAL DAY."
DEPOSITION BY THOS TARLING, PARISH CLERK OF BISHOPS CLEEVE, AGED 52: RICHARD AND MARY HAD 2 CHILDREN CHRISTENED AT BISHOPS CLEEVE. MARY WAS BURIED AT BISHOPS CLEEVE. THE TWO CHILDREN DIED A FEW WEEKS AFTER THEIR MOTHER.
"THE MARRIAGE BETWEEN RICHARD MANSELL AND ANN WAS AND IS PROHIBITED BY THE LAWS OF GOD AND EXPRESSED SO TO BE IN THE TABLE SET FORTH BY AUTHORITY IN 1563 ....AND BY THE 99TH CANON OF 1603 IS INCESTUOUS AND UNLAWFUL AND TO BE DISSOLVED AND MADE VOID FROM THE BEGINNING.... RICHARD MANSELL AND ANN MANSELL OTHERWISE ANN LONG WERE AND ARE TO BE SEPARATED."14 DEC 1820.
If you want to see this document for yourself it’s in Gloucs Archives (Ref GDR B4 /1 /2849).
ROB WHITE
