Today bigamy is one of the rarest of crimes, with only a handful of prosecutions each year. But at its peak there were approaching 1,000 cases in a single year. So what factors led to this rise and fall, and what does the evidence tell us about marriage, separation and illicit relationships in past centuries? What were individuals risking by going through a ceremony of marriage while already validly married? Drawing on thousands of cases, from the Old Bailey to magistrates’ courts, this talk provides new research findings on the nature and extent of bigamy and remarriage in past centuries and decades to help family historians interpret their ancestors’ lives.
Rebecca Probert is Professor of Law at the University of Exeter. Her research focuses on the law and history of marriage, bigamy, divorce and cohabitation and she is the author of numerous articles and books, including Marriage Law for Genealogists (2012) and Divorced, Bigamist, Bereaved? (2015). She has appeared on TV and radio, including Heirhunters, Harlots, Heroines and Housewives, A House Through Time and Who Do You Think You Are? She is currently working on a history of bigamy from 1604 to the present day.
To book your FREE place go to: https://www.chfhs.org.uk/the-crime-of-bigamy-1604-2024-a-guide-for-family-historians-with-rebecca-probert-449
