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divorcehistory.bsky.social
Divorce_History
@divorcehistory.bsky.social
2.7K followers 1.4K following 140 posts
A New Methodological Approach to the History of Divorce 1857-1923 @drjenniferaston.bsky.social @dianeranyard.bsky.social
@Northumbria Law School #ESRC #UKNatArchives ‪#welshwomensaid ‬ #CAFCASS Website: https://hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/divorce_history
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divorcehistory.bsky.social
In case you missed it, here’s out latest blog ‘If at first, you don’t succeed...remarriage and the Divorce Court’ that looks at a couple with links to the #Guinness brewing family who used legislation to reconcile their romantic entanglements #Divorce #LegalHistory #Genealogy #Remarriage (1/16)
Image Description: The marriage certificate for Mary Alice and John Burke’s second marriage on 15 February 1896 from the divorce case file J 77/715/1722 Alternate Text: The image is of a marriage certificate that is on off white paper. The wording and format of the document are printed in green ink and there is a seal printed on the bottom right-hand side in a red/orange colour. The document has been filled in with handwriting in black ink. It says that the marriage took place at the Register Office in the District of St George’s Hanover Square in the County of London. The date of the marriage is the Fifteenth of February 1896 between John Burke and Mary Alice Burke. John Burke is 30 years old listed as a Bachelor (falsely) and under ‘Rank or Profession’ it says ‘Of Independent Means’. He is living at Artillery Mansions on Victoria Street at the time of the marriage and his father is listed as John Burke (deceased) who was a Merchant. Mary Alice Burke is 29 years old and listed as a Widow (falsely) and was living at 16 North Street, Westminster. Her father is listed as Henry Vansittart Riddell (deceased) a Colonel B.S.C. The document also notes the witnesses to the marriage and who conducted the ceremony. Image Citation: The National Archives; London, England, UK; Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, later Supreme Court of Judicature: Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files, J 77; Reference Number: J 77/715/1722; Series Number: J 77; Piece Number: 715
May 15, 2025 at 8:04 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
Our latest blog ‘If at first, you don’t succeed... #remarriage and the #Divorce Court’ focuses on a couple with links to the #Guinness brewing family and gives a unique glimpse into their attempts to reconcile their romantic entanglements with legislations #legalhistory #genealogy shorturl.at/F6F80
Image Description: All Saints Church, Binfield where Mary Alice and John Burke’s first marriage took place. Alternate Text: The image is of a small village church that is surrounded by a grassed graveyard that is filled with multiple tombstones. There is a path leading up to the church entrance which is in the shape of an arch. The church is made of small, pebbled bricks with arched windows and has a sloped tiled roof. There is a small tower on the left side of the church. Image Citation: All Saints Church, Binfield by Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
April 23, 2025 at 8:02 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
For #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM we’re reposting our blog on one of the most radical pieces of legislation in 19thC England that women could use, protection orders. The topic of the book Deserted Wives and Economic Divorce by Dr Jennifer Aston and Professor Olive Anderson. #womenshistory #women (1/11)
Credit: London – St Saviours Church, Southwark by Chronicle/ Alamy Stock Photo ALT TEXT: The image is an old etching of a church in black ink on an off-cream background. The church has a central tower and spire, and around it are other areas of the church building with pointed roofs, smaller spires and arched windows. Around the etching of the church is a circular border of leaves, and in the bottom left-hand corner are the words: ST SAVIOURS SOUTHWARK.
March 28, 2025 at 9:04 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
#genealogy #familyhistory #history #marriage #divorce #letters On the 16 June 1885, a 23-year-old Miss Charlotte Jane Bell (the daughter of a local gentleman) married Charles Marshall Dix (a 30-year-old widower) at the Parish Church in the small market town of Louth in Lincolnshire. After... (1/9)
Image Description: The front cover of a petition for a restitution of conjugal rights, Dix v. Dix. Image Citation: The National Archives; London, England, UK; Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, later Supreme Court of Judicature: Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files, J 77; Reference Number: J 77/904/7439; Series Number: J 77; Piece Number: 904 Alt Text: This image is the front cover of an old paper Divorce Court case file. It is a dirty shade of cream with black writing on it, some printed and some handwritten. The writing says 7439 in the top right-hand corner. On the left the letters UND. are stamped in red with the numbers 119 handwritten next to it. Below this in print it says: In the High Court of Justice PROBATE, DIVORCE, AND ADMIRALTY DIVISION (DIVORCE.) In handwriting it says: W.R.C.R. Below in handwriting it then says: Dix Charlotte Jane v Dix Charles Marshall. Below this in print it says: COURT MINUTES. Below this in black print it says Petition Filed, followed by the date 27th February 1907 handwritten in black ink. Below this in print it says Setting Down Cause, followed by the date 4 May 1907 handwritten in black ink. Below this in print it says Decree Nisi with the Nisi crossed through and RCR written on instead. This is followed by the date 31 July 1907 handwritten in black ink. Below this in print it says Final Decree, with no date written in. Below this handwritten in black ink are the words ‘Further proceedings for W.D.’ On the left-hand page at the bottom is a green sticker and on it are the words: Closed until 2008. Stamped on top of this in red ink is a cross with the words CANCELLED inside.
March 19, 2025 at 9:04 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
As it’s #InternationalWomensDay you can read a free chapter from @drjenniferaston.bsky.social and Professor Olive Anderson’s new book: Deserted Wives and Economic Divorce in 19th-Century England and Wales: For Wives Alone? tinyurl.com/bdfe8u9d #history #legalhistory #womenshistory #genealogists
Image Description: The Front Cover of the book Deserted Wives and Economic Divorce in 19th-Century England and Wales 'For Wives Alone' Jennifer Aston and Olive Anderson. Alt Text: The image is of some books. One faces forward and you can read the front cover. On that it says. Deserted Wives and Economic Divorce in 19th-Century England and Wales 'For Wives Alone' Jennifer Aston and Olive Anderson. The wording is in white against a dark blue background. Below the wording is an image of a courtroom from the 19th-Century. A woman is stood in the centre facing a male judge who is sat behind his desk. Around them are sat other men who are in wigs and robes or suits. Next to this book are 5 others where you can see the spine which also includes the title and author names.
March 8, 2025 at 10:25 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
In our latest blog we explore restitution of conjugal rights. A type of matrimonial cause available in the #DivorceCourt to deal with #desertion, #childcustody and #maintenance issues that could also be used as evidence of desertion in a #divorce case

hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/divorce_hist...
Image Description: An extract from a ‘Come back to me’ letter described in an affidavit from the Dix v. Dix restitution of conjugal rights petition. Image Citation: The National Archives; London, England, UK; Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, later Supreme Court of Judicature: Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files, J 77; Reference Number: J 77/904/7439; Series Number: J 77; Piece Number: 904 Alt Text: The image is of a piece of old paper with faint lines drawn horizontally and one line vertically on the left-hand side creating a margin. On the horizontal lines are words written in a flowing handwriting in black ink. The quoted words from the letter have a double quote sign at the start of every line even though the quote has not ended, and it says: ‘2. That on the 20th December 1906 I wrote my husband a letter which was as follows:- “I think I have waited long “enough to see if anything would happen and “I now ask you to tell me definitely if you “are prepared to put away this woman and “make a home for me and Jacqueline”. Such letter was address[ed] by me to my husband at his office situated at 2 Collingwood Street Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he practices as a solicitor.
March 3, 2025 at 8:59 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
In January we got to an exciting point in the project, with a visit to our Project Partners #NationalArchivesUK in Kew. We, the Principal Investigator @drjenniferaston.bsky.social and Senior Research Assistant @dianeranyard.bsky.social spent 5 days at the archives. So why were we there? (1/9)
Image Description: The National Archives, Kew. Alt Text: This image is a photograph of the outside of The National Archives at Kew. The building is made of beige brickwork, large glass windows and grey roofs and canopies. In front of the building is a pond filled with water and railings around. At the front of the picture is a walkway with patterns in the stonework, including a circle. Image Description: The Book Launch for Dr Jessamy Carlson’s Approved Schools for Girls in England, 1933-1973. Alt Text: The image is a photograph that shows the inside of a lecture theatre. The focal point is a big screen that has a presentation visible. It says APPROVED SCHOOLS FOR GIRLS IN ENGLAND, 1933-1973 in a dark bold font, on a primarily yellow background with a white shape in the centre. In front of the screen are two chairs and a table with books on. The view is taken from the audience, and it is possible to see some of the chairs and attendees looking on. Image Description: A photograph of a trolley filled with J 77 box files. Alt Text: This image is a photograph of the inside of the National Archives reading room, and there are two trollies loaded with J 77 box files. One trolley is green, and the other is red. Both have three shelves that have multiple brown box files on them. Image Description: Photograph of the inside of a box file at the archives with a stack of divorce case files inside. Alt Text: This image is a photograph of a rectangular box file made of brown heavy cardboard, which is sat on a desktop made of light wood. The box file is open with the lid removed, inside the box is a pile of J 77 divorce case files. On top you can see the front cover of a J 77 file for Jane and Henry Alexander Mawson that has the number 6916 handwritten in black ink at the top.
February 18, 2025 at 9:04 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
Find out what we've been working on recently in our latest blog 'New Year, New Stage of the Project! Our visit to #TheNationalArchives, Kew' hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/divorce_hist... #archives #divorce #Ancestry #legalhistory #genealogy #familyhistory #history
Image Description: The National Archives, Kew. Alt Text: This image is a photograph of the outside of The National Archives at Kew. The building is made of beige brickwork, large glass windows and grey roofs and canopies. In front of the building is a pond filled with water and railings around. At the front of the picture is a walkway with patterns in the stonework, including a circle.
January 31, 2025 at 9:17 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
As today (the first Monday of the year) is known as #DivorceDay our latest blog looks at a case from the Victorian Divorce Court that began in early January 1898 tinyurl.com/hcvb49n8 #Divorce #Separation #LegalHistory #History #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #TheNationalArchivesUK #Ancestry
Source Citation: Divorce Court 1910; Contributor: Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo. Alternative Text: The image is a black and white sketch of the inside of the Divorce Court from 1910, which is a large room. The central focus of the image is a woman dressed in a hat and dress who is stood at the witness box/stand, and she is being questioned by a legal professional who is dressed in a long black gown and a wig. He is stood up on the right of the image and is surrounded by other men who are sat down and dressed in similar clothing. On the left-hand side of the image is a man sat high up behind a desk who is the judge. He is also dressed in a black gown and wig, and he is reading some papers in front of him. In front of him is a larger desk with five men in suits sat writing or reading and there are books and papers piled up on the desk. At the back of the image behind the woman at the witness box/stand are another 12 men who are sat in what appears to be a public gallery.
January 6, 2025 at 8:27 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
In case you missed our latest blog, Finding the Words: Descriptions of Domestic Abuse in the Victorian Divorce Court, is written in collaboration with project partner #WelshWomensAid. You can read the blog on our website here: tinyurl.com/4y85uy3t #Divorce #Christmas #DomesticAbuse #History
Image Citation: Christmas Eve by E C Bauer from Niday Picture Library/ Alamy Stock Photo Alternate Text: The image is an old painting of a snowscape. In the centre is an old church with a spire and there are lights shining out of the arched windows. In front of this is a road and a pavement that are covered in snow. There are a few trees at different points along the road, they have no leaves on them but there is snow on the branches. On the road are two horse drawn sleds with people sat inside in Victorian dress. On the snow-covered pavement are some people walking towards the church also dressed in Victorian clothing, these people include a man and woman walking together. The sky is a pale shade of blue with hues of sunlight shining through as the sun sets and there is a faint outline of the moon appearing.
December 24, 2024 at 8:44 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
Our final blog before Christmas is written in collaboration with project partner #WelshWomensAid. Here we explore how different forms of #domesticabuse were described before the #Divorce Court & consider how survivors articulated their experiences in the 19thC system. #Christmas #LegalHistory (1/10)
Image Citation: Christmas Eve by E C Bauer from Niday Picture Library/ Alamy Stock Photo Alternate Text: The image is an old painting of a snowscape. In the centre is an old church with a spire and there are lights shining out of the arched windows. In front of this is a road and a pavement that are covered in snow. There are a few trees at different points along the road, they have no leaves on them but there is snow on the branches. On the road are two horse drawn sleds with people sat inside in Victorian dress. On the snow-covered pavement are some people walking towards the church also dressed in Victorian clothing, these people include a man and woman walking together. The sky is a pale shade of blue with hues of sunlight shining through as the sun sets and there is a faint outline of the moon appearing.
December 20, 2024 at 12:01 PM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
In our latest blog, what happened when the literary agent who founded the company that represented #AgathaChristie, was brought before the Divorce Court to answer for his adulterous relationship with a married woman? tinyurl.com/bp56jccx #Adultery #Divorce #LegalHistory #History #Genealogy
Source Citation: Wikimedia Commons contributors, 'File:26 Gloucester Place, Brighton (IoE Code 480742).JPG', Wikimedia Commons, 24 May 2023, 23:21 UTC, <https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:26_Gloucester_Place,_Brighton_(IoE_Code_480742).JPG&oldid=766735062> [accessed 11 December 2024]. The image is a modern photograph of an old terrace building (built in the early 19th century) that appears to be housing. It is four storeys high, with a white facade and bay windows on every floor. The bay window on the second floor has a balcony with black railings and a small porch hanging over the top of the window. There are steps leading up to a door with another balcony above it and railings running across the front of the house. A tall tree is partially visible on the left-hand side of the photograph that is in front of the building.
December 18, 2024 at 8:52 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
As part of #DisabilityHistoryMonth, we thought we’d revisit our blog called Deafness in the Divorce Court, an example of how #deaf litigants navigated their way through the Victorian Divorce Court. #DeafAwarenes #Legalhistory #genealogy On 25 July 1876, a solicitor by the name of Redgrave... (1/9)
Hands showing the sign language alphabet. Coloured etching, ca. 1825. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/uu53bmkd The image is an old, coloured etching that is on a cream background. There is a yellow border in a rectangle shape, and within that are smaller rectangles (six running along the bottom by four high). There should be 24 equal boxes in total but on the top line the two central boxes are merged into one larger box with the following lettering inside: "The art of talking with the fingers." The lettering continues with a description of how to sign language that will not all fit within the character limitations of this alt text section. But here is some of it: "The learner will perceive, on a mere inspection, that the vowels, A,E,I,O and U, are represented by the thumb and fingers of the left hand, held up, as in the first figure. When a particular vowel is to be pointed out, it is to be done by distinctly touching the end of the finger which represents it, with the first finger of the right hand. The method of representing, or expressing, the other letters of the alphabet, is sufficiently described by the figures respectively annexed to the them in the plate, except that it will be necessary to point out to the learner the dotted lines in the figures H, and J, The first of these, proceeding from the end of the fingers of the left hand, indicates, that to express the letter H, the right-hand is to be passed over the left, passing it off in the direction of this line; whilst the second signifies, that to express the letter J, the end of the first finger of the right hand is to be drawn across the palm of the left hand, commencing the movement at the root or insertion of the first finger of the left hand." Within the other 22 boxes are etchings of hands showing sign language with corresponding letters of the alphabet next to them.
November 27, 2024 at 9:09 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
On an unseasonably warm Wednesday in May 1825, Miss Margaret Shands travelled to St Saviour’s Church, Southwark, to marry mariner, Alexander Christie. They set up home together on Watling Street in the City of London and were joined by a daughter, Rebecca in 1827, and a son, William, in 1830. (1/11)
Credit: Christ's Hospital, London: the exterior, seen from Newgate Street. Engraving. Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection. ALT TEXT: This image is an engraving of a building in black ink on an off-cream background. In front of the building is a slatted fence that sits between two buildings on each side that are four storeys high. In front of the fence is a street with people milling about. The central building sits back from the fence and looks similar to a church with multiple high arches running along its side. Above the etching are the words: CHRIST’S HOSPITAL HALL. Below the etching are the words: NEWGATE STREET, LONDON.
November 22, 2024 at 10:55 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
It's Publication [email protected] & Prof Olive Anderson’s new book Deserted Wives & Economic Divorce is out now @hartpublishing.bsky.social 🥳
Read the Intro for free tinyurl.com/bdfe8u9d & check out our latest blog post tinyurl.com/4tz2wb34 🌳🧬📚🗃️ #19thC #history #legalhistory #divorce
The image shows six copies of the book 'Deserted Wives and Economic Divorce in 19th-Century England and Wales: For Wives Alone' by Jennifer Aston and Olive Anderson. The book is a dark blue with white text. Half of the front cover is taken up by a pencil drawn image of a well dressed Victorian woman speaking before the Divorce Court. All the other seven people in the image are men. One book faces the camera to show the front cover and the other five are stood upright, showing the spine of the book.
November 14, 2024 at 9:27 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
What was the most radical piece of legislation in 19thC England?! @drjenniferaston.bsky.social makes the case for Orders of Protection under Section 21 of the Divorce & Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 in our latest blog post. tinyurl.com/4tz2wb34 @hartpublishing.bsky.social #BookSky #legalhistory 🗃️🧬🌳
Credit: London – St Saviours Church, Southwark by Chronicle/ Alamy Stock Photo The image is an old etching of a church in black ink on an off-cream background. The church has a central tower and spire, and around it are other areas of the church building with pointed roofs, smaller spires and arched windows. Around the etching of the church is a circular border of leaves, and in the bottom left-hand corner are the words: ST SAVIOURS SOUTHWARK.
November 11, 2024 at 8:56 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Legally Severing the Bonds of Marriage, our blog looks at grounds for divorce from 1857 to today, and the remarriage of the divorcees King Charles III and Queen Camilla tinyurl.com/477wcsmy #History #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #Divorce #RoyalFamily #Royalty #LegalHistory #Marriage
Source: Prince Charles and his new wife Camilla Parker Bowles attend their wedding blessing at St George's Chapel in Windsor, 9 April 2005 by Anwar Hussein / Alamy Stock Photo ALT TEXT: This image is a photograph of King Charles III and his then new wife formerly Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles attending their wedding blessing at St George's Chapel in Windsor. Both are seated in the chapel in front of an old stand with a document open on it. They are facing each other and smiling. Charles is wearing a grey pinstripe suit with a white shirt and waistcoat and a black tailcoat. Camilla is wearing a white/off cream dress with a long-fitted dove-grey silk coat on top which has gold detailing. She has a Phillip Treacey fascinator on her head which looks like gold wispy long leaves sweeping from one side to the other.
November 8, 2024 at 8:52 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
What’s in a divorce case file? A handy guide to help you with your own #familyhistory or #genealogy research exploring your ancestors #marriage’s and #divorce’s or how to use in your own #academic research #UkNationalArchives #Ancestry #Archives #History
hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/divorce_hist...
Image: Example of a divorce case file front cover. Citation: The National Archives; London, England, UK; Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, later Supreme Court of Judicature: Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files, J 77; Reference Number: J 77/914/7764; Series Number: J 77; Piece Number: 914. This image is the front cover of an old paper Divorce Court case file. It is a dirty shade of cream with black writing on it, some printed and some handwritten. The writing says 7764 in the top right-hand corner. On the left the letters UND. are stamped in red with the numbers 145 handwritten next to it. Below this in print it says: In the High Court of Justice PROBATE, DIVORCE, AND ADMIRALTY DIVISION (DIVORCE.) In handwriting it says: H.D. Below in handwriting it then says: Lodge Frederick James v Lodge Mary Ann & Dudley Joseph. Below this in print it says: COURT MINUTES. Below this in black print it says Petition Filed, followed by the date 3 July 1907 handwritten in black ink. Below this in print it says Setting Down Cause, followed by the date 6 September 1907 handwritten in black ink. Below this in print it says Decree Nisi, followed by the date 11 Nov 1907 handwritten in black ink. Below this in print it says Final Decree, followed by the date 18 May 1908 handwritten in black ink. Below this is a square box with the letters DA inside, stamped in black ink. At the bottom are small illegible letters printed onto the sheet. On the back page which is visible when the sheet of paper is opened is a green sticker and on it are the words: Closed until 2009. Stamped on top of this in red ink is a cross with the words CANCELLED inside.
November 6, 2024 at 9:22 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
If you have a few minutes, read our fourth blog post hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/divorce_hist... An introduction to Divorce Court records to help you find out how to use them in your own #familyhistory or #genealogy research. #UkNationalArchives #Ancestry #genealogists #archives #history #divorce
This image is a photograph of the inside of an archive. There is green shelving running along both sides of the photograph from front to back. In the centre of the shelving is a grey walkway. On the shelving are light brown box files with white labels on them, and white ribbon wrapped around them. The walkway leads to a yellow door with circular handles on, the door is in the centre of the photograph in the distance. Source Citation: Wikimedia Commons contributors, 'File: Documents stacks in a repository at The National Archives.jpg', Wikimedia Commons, 12 October 2020, 19:05 UTC, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Documents_stacks_in_a_repository_at_The_National_Archives.jpg&oldid=487998382n [accessed 15 August 2024]
November 4, 2024 at 8:39 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
Our bonus blog on Deafness in the Divorce Court shorturl.at/zYtFB @drjenniferaston.bsky.social was a background consultant about married women’s legal status and jobs on #Strictly winner, actress and deaf rights campaigner Rose Ayling-Ellis’s episode of BBC #WDYTYA #Deaf #Deafawareness #History
Hands showing the sign language alphabet. Coloured etching, ca. 1825. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/uu53bmkd The image is an old, coloured etching that is on a cream background. There is a yellow border in a rectangle shape, and within that are smaller rectangles (six running along the bottom by four high). There should be 24 equal boxes in total but on the top line the two central boxes are merged into one larger box with the following lettering inside: "The art of talking with the fingers." The lettering continues with a description of how to sign language that will not fit in this alt text section. Within the other 22 boxes are etchings of hands showing sign language with corresponding letters of the alphabet next to them.
November 1, 2024 at 10:02 AM
divorcehistory.bsky.social
Here’s our second blog, a brief introduction to the Divorce Court. Including its creation in 1858 as a civil court and the type of cases spouses could pursue there to deal with marital discord #divorce #legalhistory #familyhistory #genealogy #genealogists hosting.northumbria.ac.uk/divorce_hist...
Image: ‘The Law Courts’ Postcard from Personal Collection, undated. Alt Text: The image is an old coloured painting with the words THE LAW COURTS written in black writing in the bottom right-hand corner. The image shows a street with no road markings, and multiple horses and carts and old vehicles. On either side of the road are pavements with people dressed in Edwardian era clothing, and old tall grand buildings made of cream coloured stone on either side. The Law Court building is the focal point. It is imposing, with turrets, and arched windows.
October 30, 2024 at 9:35 AM