Anyone come across an arrangement like this ?

[greyingrey]

One brother is in the Army when he marries & still has time to serve. The chances that he won't return alive are pretty high & so his brother agrees to remain single until he has left the Army in order to be able to care for his widow & children. (in the meantime, the wife would, presumably, take care of her brother in law's household) An alternative scenario could be that the man not in the Army is illegitimate while the one in the Army is legitimate or the man not in the Army is from a poorer branch of the same family & agrees to do this in return for some (probably financial) assistance of some kind. In view of his age, the man staying at home might already be a widower with children.

Any offers ?

[greyingrey]

As a side issue to this, does anyone know when it became legal for a man to marry his brother's widow ? Someone has suggested around 1910....would help explain why I can't find a marriage but they were living as man & wife

[stanmapstone]

The 1921 Act enabled a man to legally marry his deceased brother's widow.

Stan

[stanmapstone]

The Deceased Brother's Widow's Act came in on 28th July 1921

Stan

[greyingrey]

Thanks, Stan...no point looking for a wedding then....hadn't realised it was that recent

[jim1]

My Greatgrandfather married his brother's widow in 1873.I have both marriage certs.

jim

[geniecolgan]

I think it happened quite a lot, regardless of the law.
My 3x grandfather married one sister 1841, was widowed then married a second sister 1847. I've the records for both marriages.

[greyingrey]

Oh, that's interesting....wonder if they lied or if  the clergyman simply turned a blind eye ?

[Redroger]

Certainly in rural areas the vicar just didn't want to know that a marriage was illegal. In a small village with many close inter relatgionships there would have been very few marriages had he followed the rules