Father in Law or Stepfather

[J.R.Ellam]

Hi

Just come across a baptism for William Pullan of Knaresborough in 1801.

It says he is the son of Mary Pullan, illegitimate by incest of father in law Robert Handers.

All I can find on Robert Handers is a marriage to Mary Pullan widow in 1791 & then in 1795 at Mary's burial were he is down as husband.

I cannot find any other connexion between the 2 families so I am coming to the conclusion that he is the stepfather or with the death of Mary possibly guardian & not father in law.

Do you think this assumption is right or do you think I am missing  something.

John

[KGarrad]

In previous times, the terms stepfather and father-in-law were interchangeable.

[Spelk]

Looks to me like there are two Mary PULLANs, one being the daughter of the other. So after the death of his wife the Step father conceived a child on his late wife’s daughter.

[heywood]

Looks to me like there are two Mary PULLANs, one being the daughter of the other. So after the death of his wife the Step father conceived a child on his late wife’s daughter.

That’s the conclusion of the O P.
Added
I am unsure if it would be ‘incest’ as there would be no blood relationship.
However, as KGarrad writes I have seen the two terms step father and father in law used interchangeably.

[heywood]

The Handers/Pullan marriage was 1781 not 1791.

[KGarrad]

From StackExchange:



The step- prefix is from (13th-century) Old English steop-, referring to bereavement: steopcild was not stepchild as we know it today, but rather orphan before we acquired that word from Latin via Old French. A step-parent used to be the adopter of an orphan.

In-law is from the same time period and refers to Canon Law, which established relationships (and thus allowable marriages, etc.) on the basis of consanguinity and adoption. The two terms could presumably have been used interchangeably until step- lost its connotation of orphanage, which happened as late as the 20th century.

And, from Wiktionary:
Noun
English Wikipedia has an article on:
father-in-law

father-in-law (plural fathers-in-law or (colloquial, nonstandard) father-in-laws)

    One's spouse's father.
    (dated) A stepfather.

    1839, Charles Dickens, chapter IV, in Nicholas Nickleby, page 41:

        `Yes,` replied Snawley. `The fact is, I am not their father, Mr Squeers. I'm only their father-in-law.`

[J.R.Ellam]

Thanks for your time & responses.

It was my mistake the marriage was 1781.

I Think the Mary Pullan that had the illegitimate William was the daughter of a William & Mary Pullan. William might have died in 1777, but several William Pullan's so will take some weeding out.

A Timothy Pullan is a witness at the Pullan/Hander marriage, doesn't seem to be a go to witness so I am assuming he is a relative.

Been trying to find Robert Handers the marriage states he is living in Knaresborough but nothing come up.

Might need a tripe to Northallerton.

John

[heywood]

I couldn’t find him either but just to say, there are also some Haunders.

[Zacktyr]

Hi, Heywood,

Father in law at that time period was a step father.  If you think of the 'in law' portion as representing 'by law' the relationship becomes clear. 

Given that the wife and her children and all of her property becomes the benefit of the newly acquired husband (the relationship of a step father) in those days, any dalliance with one of the children would still be considered incest.

I hope this helps.