Bigamy laws

[Jillie42]

I was watching a repeat of the WDYTYA about Vic Reeves and his grandfather who was a bigamist. There was a mention that bigamists faced a prison sentance of up to a year.

Does anyone know if this is still in existance and if not, when it was changed?

We have a bigamist and a possible name change in my husband's family - we didn't realise that bigamy carried a custodial sentance

Jillie

[kezbomb]

Just found this:

Family Law - Relationships
 
Bigamy.
If a person gets married in the United Kingdom and is already legally married, the marriage will be bigamous and therefore is void. Although it is a criminal offence to marry someone when you are already married, prosecution is not automatic.

If you think you may be about to enter a bigamous marriage you should seek advice from a specialist solicitor on this site.
 

[kezbomb]

Sorry meant to put this at the end of the message.

This is the site:

http://www.family-solicitors.co.uk/bigamy.htm

[stanmapstone]

We have a bigamist and a possible name change in my husband's family - we didn't realise that bigamy carried a custodial sentance
Jillie

When was this?

Stan

[Jillie42]

Hi Stan, the marriage took place in 1935 in Islington, London. Our bigamist died in 1946

[chris_49]

I've found three probable bigamists in my tree - one moved to the USA, another from Warwickshire to Lancashire and now a third from Monmouthshire to Leicestershire. All C19th. Unless you stayed in the same area, or were very well-known, who's to find out?

[Jillie42]

I've found three probable bigamists in my tree - one moved to the USA, another from Warwickshire to Lancashire and now a third from Monmouthshire to Leicestershire. All C19th. Unless you stayed in the same area, or were very well-known, who's to find out?

We have no idea where our bigamist was born since he seems to have changed his Christian insname around the date of his second (bigamous) marriage. We can't find a birth for him in the year in which he claims he was born under the name he used on his marriage certificate.

Gut instinct is that he changed his first name because he never actually moved far from where he was born but it's pure speculation. His real name could be anything and he could have come from anywhere in England.

The threat of a possible custodial sentence would presumably have been a good enough reason to change his first name and it may also have been the reason he was never called up during WWII.

[halfasheep]

My gt grandfather married a second time (bigamously of course) during WW2. It was while he was in service. He was put in prison in London for an unspecified amount of time, and we assume it was after he was discharged - I'm waiting on his army records to ge tthe details - it was picked up because his first wife (my gt gran) stopped receiving his wages as he'd presumably provided his new wife's details.

It seems that looking through the local papers, it was pretty rife around the time of WW2. My story was apparently front page news in the News Of The World (don't know why, but hopefully it was a really juicy story!), and other stories I've seen almost always carried a custodial.

It appears that the records of the marriage may have been struck from the registers as I cannot locate it - there was one that possibly matched, but we've rule dit out as not him and just someone with the same name.

If your guy was caught, I would expect there to be a piece in the local paper - our local paper showed no less than 5 in one year, and I live in the relatively unpopulated Welsh Valleys!

[toni*]

my gt grandfather according to my nan married again bigamously during WW2 well just after and that was the last the family saw of him, after searching and searching everywhere for him i found a g niece of his and she said he didnt remarry, but whatever the case he did set up home with  this other woman and his war pension went to her rather than the first family he had. i donot now if he had any more children with this other woman but as my nan said it wouldn't surprise us as he liked to sow his seed!
if he did marry bigamously he wasn't caught.
it is so difficult to look for him as he has a very common name, Taylor