Remarriage while husband in asylum ?

[brigidmac]

 husband  Charles Williamson was in asylum since 1891 leaving wife Sarah nee Dobson
 with 5 young children

He was still there in 1911 listed as married farmer

 But wife seems to have remarried in 1907  to the man she was housekeeper for in 1901
 George Mason

Could she have had first marriage annulled ?
Where would records be .?

[brigidmac]

Im trying to connect Sarah nee Dobson to my cousins gandfather John William DOBSON b abt 1903

Im beginning to suspect john William may have been son of Sarahs daughter Harriet but no evidence.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=830020.0

It seems Sarah led a complicated  hard life  .

[guest189040]

The 5 children would probably mean an Annulment was not possible and Divorce simply did not happen to anyone unless financially very, very well off.

Any Legal actions would have resulted in a case being generated at the Quarter Sessions so do check these, it may well be that these are not online and a physical check in the regional Archives is the only avenue to be certain.

More likely she just got married or if you have not found a marriage record she could have simply adopted the Mason surname.

[brigidmac]

Thank you biggles

According to ancestry there is a marriage for George Mason in 1907 .

1911 ,census  has sarah as married for 29 years but maybe she meant a married woman and not married to George

Also says 7 children 6 living


 

[brigidmac]

There were 5 williamson children in 1891 + daughter Harriet dobson age 12

[stanmapstone]

The 5 children would probably mean an Annulment was not possible and Divorce simply did not happen to anyone unless financially very, very well off.

Annulment is a legal finding that a marriage had never existed. It is a common belief that you had to be wealthy to get a divorce after 1858,  the very poor could sue without payment of fees 'in forma pauperis' if they could prove their lack of means.

Stan

[Girl Guide]

Is this the marriage that you are referring to?

Marriages Jun 1907   
LAYTHAM    William        York    9d   113    
>>>MASON    George        York    9d   113   
TERRY    Ada        York    9d   113    
>>>WILLIAMSON    Sarah        York    9d   113

[stanmapstone]

Could she have had first marriage annulled ?

If it was a legal marriage then it could not be annulled.  Annulment is a legal finding that a marriage had never existed.

Stan

[HughC]

The husband of my great-aunt Dot was discharged from the army some time before the Great War, after his behaviour became very strange.  He attacked her with a knife in 1914 and was put away in Broadmoor asylum for the rest of his long life.  It is my understanding that insanity was not valid grounds for divorce at that time, which is why she had to wait until 1918 before she could remarry.

It was possible to have a marriage annulled if it had never been consummated, but the existence of children rather precludes that!