Divorce

[hencarrai]

Hello,
James Jones married 1914 Sept 14th, to Edith Annie Davies.
He married again in Sept 1945, to Mathilda Gittings.
1945 Certificate says he is Divorced. How do I find info about the Divorce please?

[rosie99]

Newspapers, also see this information page from TNA
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/divorce/
What proportion of case files survive?
The survival rate of divorce case files is:

1858-1927: almost 100%
1928-1937: 80%
After 1937: less than 0.2%

[Rena]

This might help understand:-

After a person applies for a divorce:-

A certificate will be issued to that person which will state the time and date (s)he will be granted a conditional order or DECREE NISI.

He/She will still be married after it has been granted. They have to wait at least 43 days (6 weeks and 1 day) after it's been granted before they can apply to finalise the divorce and end the marriage. 

This is the DIVORCE ABSOLUTE.

[AntonyMMM]

If they divorced pre 1937, then you may well be able to view the divorce file at TNA - but for divorces after that, then the case files were no longer kept ( after a decision made in the 1960s).

But, you can get a copy of the decree absolute, which will confirm the divorce happened (but without any details of why), from the courts service.

https://www.gov.uk/copy-decree-absolute-final-order

Searches, when you don't have many details, can get expensive though.

[hencarrai]

Thanks for your help.
So no chance really.

[rosie99]

Have you searched newspapers 

[hencarrai]

Is that feasible, over 15 years or so?
They were living apart on 1939 register. Both claim to be married , but I guess not to each other.

[rosie99]

Any newspaper report of a divorce would be searchable by name if the record was online.  It was more common for them to be reported then though it would possibly not give details.

I presume for the second marriage to have 'Divorced' noted on it that proof was given.  If he did not remarry until 1945 then it is likely they were still married to each other in 1939.  Did she remarry.

[hencarrai]

Edith Annie remarried in 1944, to John Bryant, with whom she was living in 1939.