A bigamist in the family!

[Copper]

I have read the odd post in my time about people with a bigamist in the family. I doubted that I would ever find one of those in my tree.

Last year my cousin had found our elusive great great granny Charlotte Weeden (nee Cursue) in the 1891 census along with her daughter May. Her husband, Frederick, was in another part of London along with some children that were new to us. We have proved that these children were Charlotte's. Also with Frederick was a lady, relationship not given but her occupation was servant. Lo and behold in 1901 this lady was his "wife". In 1901 Charlotte was in a different part of London with one of her sons.

I was searching Free BMD for a marriage for a different branch and when I checked the names a Charlotte Cursus turned up. Instinct made me check the entry and it was badly typed but looked like Cursue to me. I just had to order the certificate which arrived this morning.

In 1892 Charlotte married as Charlotte Cursue, spinster, age 32. She had knocked 7 years off her age probably because the groom was only 30. The witnesses were her newly married daughter and her husband (my great grandparents). Sadly her "second" husband died in 1900.

When Charlotte died she was registered as Weedon wife of Frederick.

I think this was the best kept secret in the family, which I have stumbled on quite by chance. :D

I really don't know what to think.

[Jan1954]

I think this was the best kept secret in the family, which I have stumbled on quite by chance. :D

I really don't know what to think.

Well done you for cracking the family secret! :D

Remember, formal divorce was rare back then, available only to the really rich. People just lived apart and "became" divorced or single again.

In 1857, divorce became available through a Court of Law. Men could claim adultery. Women had to claim both adultery and cruelty. It was a very expensive business and so there was no divorce for the poor. It wasn't until 1923 that women could divorce on the same terms as men.

[MarkJ]

I have a convicted bigamist in my tree. He claimed he was "conned" into marrying a girl in Penzance whilst drunk and being offered £3 to marry the girl he agreed. The small detail that she was several months pregnant with his child seemed to slip his mind in the later court case! Within a couple of weeks, he had scarpered to Newquay where he "married" another girl. The bigamy came to light when his sister sent a letter to the second wife informing her of the first wife.
Although found guilty, he soon divorced wife number one and "re-married" wife number two! From then on, he played the same trick on at least a couple of other women - even using the marriage certificate from his first marriage as "proof" of being married to number four or so - she was using the name (slightly ammended) of wife number one!
He was what may be called "a bit of a lad"!

Mark

[Ladkyis]

Good for her I say, She seems to be a spirited lady with a bit of gumption, just what we need in our ancestors.

Be pleased that she had a couple of years with the new man.


I would really love to find a black sheep in my family, I just have a couple of actors and a murder victim -- so far. Oh OH and a song writer who lied about her age and education.

[Mutley]

I have one too and I have both her marriage certificates.

Weird though, that in 1901 she was living with the first husband as wife and a son from that marriage but the 2nd husband was now their lodger. Previously she had been with the 2nd husband for 20 years.
:confused:
I cannot wait until 1911 to see if the 2nd husband was the head of the household and the first now the lodger!!

Maybe, every time she had a row with one, she moved in with t'other.:)