bigamy

[mickbash]

trying to find out information about my grandfather who was convicted of bigamy and sent to jail, which I believe was durham prison. His name was john william mc carthy who lived in the stanley area of county durham.The year would have been about 1923-1925.

[Jan1954]

I expect that this would have made the newspapers. One covering the years that you mention is:

Stanley News & Consett Chronicle, Chester-le-Street News, and North West Durham Chronicle.

[mickbash]

Thanks for that will give it a try

[contactlt]

My grandfather supposedly committed bigamy circa 1915-1920. I know my grandparents did not divorce so does anyone know if

1 - Bigamists were tried and sent to jail as a matter of course
2 - The bigamous marriages were annulled ? - My Grandmother married again, but according to the marriage cert she was a spinster !

[Geoffers]

My grandfather supposedly committed bigamy circa 1915-1920. I know my grandparents did not divorce so does anyone know if

1 - Bigamists were tried and sent to jail as a matter of course

Sentencing was at the discretion of the judge - but I would expect a custodial sentence.


2 - The bigamous marriages were annulled ? - My Grandmother married again, but according to the marriage cert she was a spinster !

The bigamous ceremony was not a legal marriage and so could not be annulled; for your grandmother it would for later a later marriage be treated as though it had never happened - hence her getting wed as a spinster.

[contactlt]

Thanks Geoffers

Then presumably the product of my grandmother's marriage would be classed as illegitimate, not that it worries me, you are who you are !

They lived in Fulham, so maybe the local papers might have reported it ? Would there have been any court records and if so, where does one find them ?

I have tried to find out who he is, but I don't think he gave his real name when marrying since I cannot find him (Theodore William Howell) in any BMD or census recolrds. Only place I found his name was in the WWI medal card (no date) where he was a Private in the Somerset LI, but on his marriage cert (1915) he was a Sgt in the Royal Field Artillery. The SLI historian has no record of him.

[Geoffers]

They lived in Fulham, so maybe the local papers might have reported it ? Would there have been any court records and if so, where does one find them ?

The case may well have been reported in national newspapers.
Try - Archive.Timesonline.co.uk (free to search, pay to view the full articles) - but if not, then try local newspapers.

Which court and where to look for files? - it depends.

The National Archives at Kew would be a likely place to look
Have a read of the research guides (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/researchguidesindex.asp#c) - look at those prefixed 'crime' or 'criminals'

Some court cases are indexed in TNA's catalogue (ADM, CRIM, MEPO) - this is the result of a search of catalogued bigamy cases (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/searchresults.asp?SearchInit=0&txtsearchterm=bigamy&txtfirstdate=1910&txtlastdate=1930&txtrestriction=&hdnsorttype=Reference&image1.x=28&image1.y=4&image1=GO) (for roughly the right time period) - I don't know if any of them appear familiar?

[contactlt]

Many thanks Geoffers

I think I will try the Fulham & Hammersnith archives to see if I can find anything there - My father was born in 1918 and my grandmother remarried in July 1920 so I think it may be a fair assumption to assume the bigamy was discovered in that period but the court hearing may well have happened afterwards

[Geoffers]

I see that the couple appear to have had at least three children - do you know if he was consistently recorded in the artillery in those birth certificates?

Any luck looking for WW1 army service records (try the pay-per-view site Ancestry).

[Waitabit]

WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 Record hs a Theodore W. Howell of the somersetshire Light Infantry. Regimental no. 35347 Victoria Cross E/2/102/B9

[contactlt]

Hi Geoffers

Now you've got me going - 3 children ?? All I am aware of is my father born in Oct 1918. Where did you find that info ?

Howell's name on his marriage cert (11/1915) is Theodore William Howell and a Sgt in the RFA
Howell's name on my father's birth cert (10/1918) is Theodore William Howell and a Sgt in the SLI
Howell's name on his medal card (date card produced unknown) is Theodore W Howell and a Pte in the SLI
Howell's name on my father's marriage cert (3/1945) is Theodore Howe (just to confuse the issue) and a Sgt in the RA

I am a member of Ancestry.co.uk and have searched all the WWI records to no avail - the only record I found was the Medal Card as Wendy rightly says - a Pte in the SLI - I have a copy of that card. The VC Wendy refers to is the Victory Medal.

[contactlt]

Addition to last post

The only other child that my grandmother had, that I am aware of, was in the next marriage (7/1920), who was born in 1921

[Geoffers]

I carried out a search on freebmd for a marriage of Theodore W HOWELL and came up with a match in Fulham in Dec 1915, the wife's maiden name being WALLIS.

Then searching freebmd for births of children where the father's name is HOWELL and mother's name WALLIS brings back three hits between 1915 and 1920 (there are two more in the 20s in Lewisham but I have discarded them).

The three hits being:
March 1915 Reginald F in Fulham
March 1918 Gladys D in Lambeth (A birth registerd in March 1918 could have taken place in Nov/Dec 1917)
December 1918 Richard W in Lambeth

These are only details from an index and so I should more correctly have mentioned that they may possibly be the children of Theodore W HOWELL.

There are two other marriages for HOWELL and WALLIS on freebmd between 1910 and 1915, one in Greenwich and t'other in Weymouth.

It justs seems a coincidence that your couple marry in Fulham and there is a child born in the same district to a couple with the same surnames (albeit before the marriage).

Also, assuming that the second birth in Lambeth is for your father, again there seems a coincidence of events to have a previous birth in the same district - possibly just under a year earlier.

I do apologise for causing any unwanted stress if the above inference is incorrect, but the possibility is something of which I think you ought to be aware.
You mentioned being with 'Ancestry' - you might try seeing if they have baptisms for this period.

[RobinC]

You mentioned being with 'Ancestry' - you might try seeing if they have baptisms for this period.

Ancestry only has baptism records up until 1906 for London.

[contactlt]

Thanks Geoffers

No stress - just intrigued. I don't really mind what sort of bounder grandpa might have been, I am just interested in finding out who he was and his line

The 2nd Lambeth birth was my father. I will investigate the other 2 although I think it probably is coincidence with regard to Reginald F since howell/wallis did not get married until 11/1915, but I will go down that rabbit hole to see what it throws up. Maybe a few days on this but will come back to you.

One extra item is that my father's birth cert says howell was in the 7th SLI. I would have thought that to be a Sgt in 1915, he either joined up pre-1914, or he was good at this job and got promoted quickly, or he was the only one left standing !

[Geoffers]

The 2nd Lambeth birth was my father. I will investigate the other 2 although I think it probably is coincidence with regard to Reginald F since howell/wallis did not get married until 11/1915

It struck me as a possibility that his 1st marriage was before 1915 and he had a bit of a fling on leave that got out of hand?


One extra item is that my father's birth cert says howell was in the 7th SLI. I would have thought that to be a Sgt in 1915, he either joined up pre-1914, or he was good at this job and got promoted quickly, or he was the only one left standing !

People did get promoted quite quickly during the war, but I am inclined to the idea that he may have been a career soldier - possibly in the army before 1911 and posted overseas at the time of that census? An intruiging problem.

Do let us know how you get on with trying to track any newspaper reports/court cases.

[Jane Gee]

trying to find out information about my grandfather who was convicted of bigamy and sent to jail, which I believe was durham prison. His name was john william mc carthy who lived in the stanley area of county durham.The year would have been about 1923-1925.

Hi
Funnily enough my uncles father committed bigamy during the 1st world war there was a newspaper article but he only got about 12 months returned to the army and completed his service and stayed with his wife. The newspaper article was very interesting and not at all sensational.
I could find not surviving court records (Birmingham) so the article was really good to find.
I do have the book criminal records for Great Britain so let me know if you want to look anything up.
Best Wishes
Jane

[contactlt]

Hi Geoffers

I sent off for the Birth cert of Gladys Howell which eventually arrived, but it had nothing to do with my grandmother. Anyone want a cert for Gladys Dorothy Howell !

Back to square uno ...........