Posted by Caroline on August 08, 1997 at 22:37:07:
In reply to Divorce and Remarriage posted by Xenia on August 07, 1997 at 17:55:16
] So, how could someone like Mr Rushworth marry again?
Xenia, I have been out of the Church of England for many years,too, and I have been trying to find something sensible to say in answer to your question, but I cannot come up with much. Even "What Jane Austen ate and Dickens Knew"which says a lot about divorce, does not mention remarriage at all.But for what it is worth, here's a couple of ideas:
First, marriage by special licence could only be granted by a bishop, and then, I think, the clergyman was bound to marry you.So if you managed to persuade a bishop that you deserved to re-marry, then a parson had no option but to do the deed. Am I being too cynical here?
Secondly, although the Church of England was the official religious body and had considerable influence,other denominations did exist.Catholics Methodists and other groups were in existence. My brother -in-law recently got married for the third time, in a Roman-Catholic church. He was able to do so, because his other marriages were not Catholic ones, and therefore did not count. If Mr Rushworth got married into one of these faiths, presumably there would have been no problem. He could have easily re- married within the confines of the Church of Scotland(as Princess Anne did ) or the Church of Ireland, or possibly further abroad. Such marriages would be legal, and accepted by society.Conversion to another faith might have caused him to be ineligible for public office, university lectureships and similar posts, but in this case I don't think that would be a problem, do you?
This is pure speculation. I'm sorry I cannot find anything more concrete! :-(
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