19th Century Marriage Law - Was it illegal to...?

[Frenchy]

Just a question about marriage law of the 1830s that I'm hoping someone out there could answer. My ancestor George Wootton appears to have taken responsibility for his deceased brother Charles' wife Harriet and children. George and Harriet themselves have two children but I can find no marriage for them. Was there a reason for this? Was it illegal at the time to marry your brother's widow?

Regards,
Chris

[cati]

Marriage with deceased brother's widow was illegal until the Deceased Brother's Widow's Marriage Act of 1921.

This is quite a useful site:

http://www.genetic-genealogy.co.uk/Toc115570145.html

Cati

[Frenchy]

Thanks Cati 

[pinefamily]

Having checked that site out furthers my argument. I have long believed that first cousins could not marry. In fact I have an example from Devon PR's where the couple got married in another parish (the register entry in the original PR is forcefully crossed out!).

[Guy Etchells]

For the full list of Consanguinity & Affinity blocks to marriage see my website at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/affinity.htm
Cheers
Guy

P.S. Note the 1536 the Second British Temporal Statute extension that is very often missed.

[Deb D]

Having checked that site out furthers my argument. I have long believed that first cousins could not marry. In fact I have an example from Devon PR's where the couple got married in another parish (the register entry in the original PR is forcefully crossed out!).

I'm of the understanding that it was quite common for first cousins to marry.  I have one such marriage in my tree, in fact, which involves a clergyman who married his first cousin.

[pinefamily]

I know, people keep giving me examples like that Deb. But why would the entry be crossed out in the local parish register, and then the couple married a little later a bit further away? The time period is the late 1700's.
I also have the example of 2 cousins of my father's, who created much family uproar and scandal I am told, when they secretly married across town from where they lived; this occurred in the 1930's in South Australia.

[pinefamily]

Rather than banned under the consanguinity rule, perhaps it was a societal more (?).

[Galium]

I know, people keep giving me examples like that Deb. But why would the entry be crossed out in the local parish register, and then the couple married a little later a bit further away? The time period is the late 1700's.
I also have the example of 2 cousins of my father's, who created much family uproar and scandal I am told, when they secretly married across town from where they lived; this occurred in the 1930's in South Australia.

Marriage between first cousins is legal in all European countries, Australia, and some, but not all states in the USA.  More info here:

http://www.cousincouples.com/?page=facts

Nevertheless, many people living in those places believe that it is not legal.