Posted by Lesley on August 09, 1997 at 01:24:38:
In reply to Divorce and Remarriage posted by Xenia on August 07, 1997 at 17:55:16
] When I was still a member of the Church of England, about ten years ago, it was almost impossible for a divorced person (even the 'innocent party') to be remarried in Church.
] So, how could someone like Mr Rushworth marry again?
I hate to admit this but I never read the ending of MP! Was Mr. Rushworth granted a divorce or was the marriage annuled?
If it was annuled then there would not be a problem with remarrying. Also, it did not carry the social stigma that divorce did. The grounds for annulment were:
1. Husband impotent for 3 yrs.
2. Spouses had a close family relationship
3. One spouse had a previous contract with another person who was still alive.
4. A spouse went missing for 7 yrs. or more
Divorce was a horse of a different color. The took a long time to go through and they cost a lot of money. Divorce was granted by an act of Parliment after bringing a suit before the church court (for separation of bed and board) and the civil court(for financial damages) Before 1801, women could not obtain a divorce but even after that it would have been impossible unless the woman was an heiress.
The big D also carried much social stigma and both the man and the woman were excluded from polite society.
My source for this answer is The Regency Companion by Sharon Laudermilk and Teresa L. Hamlin
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