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 - 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 (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