Reasonable or Unreasonable Inference?

[Kiki1958]

My Great-great great Grandfather's brother, John Hignell, married Rachel Prosser in 1843.  Rachel died in the first quarter of 1850, leaving John a widower with a young daughter, Ann.  John Hignell then married Ann Waters, nee Prosser in December 1850.  By a strange coincidence, it took 17 years for the Prossers to pay Rachel Prosser Hignell's bequest to her Husband. 

Was Ann Prosser Waters Rachel Prosser's sister or cousin?  If they were sisters, was it legal to marry your sister in law by 1850?  I think the best bet would be to get the GRO record for both of John Hignell's marriages and see if the brides had the same father with the same profession.  I'm well awar of the many people in Monmouthshire with the same names.

[CaroleW]

Many widowed men married their sister in law in those days so it's not an unusual occurrence

You do need the 1843 and 1850 marriage certs though

[Galium]

It was not lawful to marry your deceased wife's sister until 1907.  However, that didn't stop it happening, and I think quite a few Rootschatters can give examples from their own trees.

I think the only way for you to know whether Rachel and Ann are sisters is to see both marriage records.  Usually the second marriage takes place somewhere distant from where the couple normally live, but this is not always so, and I see that both John Hignell's marriages are registered in Newport district.