bigamy question ?

[garstonite]

Hi...I went to do a job for my Aunty today...she is my mums sister and is 87..and has always said...oohh I don`t really know -not sure , when I have asked her questions...but today....she spilled ALL
I could never understand how my grandad was born Reginald Percival Roberts and married as Percival Anson....NOW I KNOW....what I don`t understand is this
Matthew John Roberts b Welshpool married Martha Adams in 1885...Martha was 17 and from a very very rich family in Astley , Shropshire...Matthew was an ag lab on the estate where Martha lived.She ran away with him and they got married..HOW ? - she would have needed dads permission ?
My aunty tells me that MATTHEW was already married and no-one knew...so he was jailed for 15 months....when he came out of jail they moved to Garston, where Matthew got a job on the docks...they had 5 children..because he had been in jail they all changed their names to Anson..but not legally...except my grandad who had to because of some legal wrangle(I think an insurance claim ) - he then left her and came back a year later and moved in with a woman IN THE SAME STREET AS MARTHA LIVED...my questions are
The marriage is on freebmd...I thought bigamous marriages were scrubbed ??
how was Martha allowed to marry without her dads permission ???
Who was Matthews first wife ...presumably he married in Welshpool....
thanx......allan

[Olde Crone]

Bigamous marriages are supposed to be suppressed. However, there are so many indexes floating around, some old, some new, that it would be impossible to alter every index to obliterate any record of the marriage. Also, they are SUPPOSED to be suppressed but in practice it seems they didn't always get round to doing it, lol and some people have managed to obtain a copy of a bigamous marriage certificate from the GRO.

She may have forged her father's permission, or lied about her age, or said she was an orphan...lots of ways around it.

If he did time for the bigamy, there will probably be a report in the local paper.

OC

[Merry]

If the right procedure is followed a bigamous cert is suppressed if you ask for it. It is NOT removed from the GRO index though.

I have one person on my tree who went to prison for bigamy, but his entry is not suppressed (his great-niece has a cert copy!) so I guess a lot were not. In fact I believe so many were not suppressed that I do wonder if the info I have (gleaned from a Sup Registrar) is actually correct.

Re permission - most likely she lied about her age. Are you getting the cert?

[Merry]

You said Martha was 17 in 1885 but in 1891 she is listed as 27 in 1891!

If she is the granddaughter of Thomas Adams from Astley Salop then she was listed as 7 in 1871, so that fits with her age in 1891 but not with the marriage (but where did you get the age from?)

[garstonite]

Thank you both...I wasn`t going to get the cert...another question...if he was previously married , did they EVER legally marry ?....or more to the point could they if he never got divorced...where do you think it would be in the papers ? where his first wife lived ?....I can find a marriage in 1879 in DEVON for a Matthew John Roberts....allan

[Nell]

Well if he was already married, he could only have married her legally if a) he got divorced or b) his legal wife died.

I am guessing the bigamy trial would be reported in the local paper of the court where the trial was held.

[Merry]

They are together in 1891 but not in 1901. I can't find Matthew then. Do you know what happened to the other children, Richard and Robert?

Here is the one who married in Devon, in 1881:

Matthew J. ROBERTS Head M 25 Iron Miner b Devonport, Devon
Rosa M. ROBERTS Wife M 26 Ilsington, Devon

1 Smoky House
Ilsington, Devon, England

They are still together in 1891, so I think you can ignore that marriage.

[Merry]

Your Matthew has the same details in 1891 as he does in 1881 (when he was single) so if he did marry anyone it was after 1881.

What if it was Martha who was the first wife and this is him again?

Marriages Jun 1894
Beamond Elizabeth Atcham 6a 1232
Challenor Edward Atcham 6a 1232
Roberts Matthew John Atcham 6a 1232
Spencer Clara Atcham 6a 1232


Have to cook dinner now!

[garstonite]

Originally Posted by Merry

You said Martha was 17 in 1885 but in 1891 she is listed as 27 in 1891!

If she is the granddaughter of Thomas Adams from Astley Salop then she was listed as 7 in 1871, so that fits with her age in 1891 but not with the marriage (but where did you get the age from?)

Sorry Merry....I got it wrong ...I have just checked my tree...she was born 8th December 1863....so would have been 21 when she married in 1885 ...coming 22..she actually made a fabulously hand written card of all the 13 children born to
William and Sarah Adams with all the dates of birth ,it truly is a work of art.....Thomas was her grandad....so she was of full age to get married.....oops....allan
ADDED...Richard and Robert were the twins born 1888..then ELEVEN years later.Percival (my grandad b 1899)....I think they should be together in 1901....considering the ELEVEN year gap...I think the bigamous marriage was the 1894 one and when he came out of jail he went back to Martha...that looks more feasible.....allan

[Merry]

But they are not! lol