Uncle marrying his niece- 1899

[Lydart]

Looking at the thread you quote, Stan, I dont think it covers 'dead wife's neice' .... i.e. dead wife's brother or sisters child.    There would be no blood link, so as long as the wife was dead, surely it would be OK ??

"Wife’s brother’s daughter" and "Wife’s sister’s daughter" are on Stan's list. I don't think it matters whether there was a blood link or not.

Alexander

Sorry .... I need to go to Sp**Sa***s !!

Although to me it would seem to be perfectly acceptable if there was no blood link ??

[stanmapstone]

There are two types of Prohibited Degrees, those of Consanguinity (blood) and those of Affinity (relationship).

Stan

[BumbleB]

It definitely went on - I have a guy in Yorkshire who married two sisters.  In fact they all lived in the same household for at least 13 years, and they are all in the same grave    Oops, sorry, this isn't uncle/niece 

[Lydart]

I've got a man having children by his niece .... I must check to see if they were married ... or ... 

[derby girl]

Actually it wasn't legalised when other prohibitions were lifted.  This was a problem in my family as my great great grandma went to look after her aunt who was dying and her husband and four children.  Her aunt made her promise to look after them after her death, and four years later the children started to arrive.  But no marriage possible.  It was lifted ca 1930.  I have an article from the Derby Evening Telegraph dated 22nd August 1931 where the Bishop of Willesden refused to allow such a wedding to go ahead, and they had to marry in a register office.  The writer of the article says he finds it remarkable as one such wedding had already taken place in a Congregational Church in Lancashire. 
Unfortunately it was too late for my family - so my great grandfather was illegitimate.
Best Wishes
Derby Girl

[Lydart]

A congregational church, being non-conformist, like Baptists and others, wouldn't be under the jurisdiction of the C of E and their Bishops .... so the Bishop of Willesden, presumably, was sticking to the C of E rules.

[stanmapstone]

The prohibited consanguinity and affinity relationships were redefined by the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1931. The Marriage Act of 1931 permitted marriages between a man and his deceased wife's niece or aunt, and his deceased nephew's  or uncle's widow. Also permitted were marriages between a woman  and her deceased husband's nephew or uncle, and her deceased niece's or aunt's widower.  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~framland/acts/1931Act.htm
They were clearly tabulated in a schedule to the 1949 Marriage Act, but modified by the Marriage (Enabling) Act of 1960, by section 3 of the 1975 Children Act, and by the 1986 Marriage Act.

Stan

[pinefamily]

Despite the prohibited lists, marriages such as these definitely went on.
I have 2 cases in separate lines of my wife's family tree of uncles marrying their own nieces (well in one case they had children; I am still searching for the marriage). When I came across the first instance, I ruled it out, thinking there must have been a separate family of the same name.
Makes you wonder about the relevance of the words, "Does anyone know of any reason why this couple shouldn't be wed?"

Darren

[pinefamily]

Sorry, I should have said that both cases were in the 19th century.