If you think your married ancestors separated, follow Judith Batchelor’s advice to…
Find divorce records for England & Wales
Between the 1660s and 1857 only around 300 legal divorces were granted in the UK. For most people it was too difficult and too expensive – indeed, it required an Act of Parliament.
In 1857, the Matrimonial Causes Act opened up divorce to many more couples. A husband only needed to prove that his wife had committed adultery, but a wife had to prove that her husband’s adultery had been compounded by an aggravating offence, such as cruelty, or desertion for two years.
It wasn’t until 1923 that the law was amended to allow wives to divorce their husbands on the grounds of adultery alone. With the extension of legal aid and the provision of local court facilities, the number of divorce cases rose substantially after this date.
Search Ancestry
You’ll find many divorce records from 1858 to 1918 on
Judith found that her ancestor Fanny Basing petitioned for divorce from her husband in 1883
Ancestry at www.snipca. com/47818, though they cover England and Wales only. Neither Irish or Scottish records are available online.
When you search Ancestry, choose the names of either party, and add the year of the divorce if you know it. Alternatively, you can browse the records by year. The search-results page will reveal which spouse petitioned for divorce.
Information contained in the file varies, but it will usually include a short history of the marriage, copies of relevant marriage and birth certificates, and the grounds for the divorce, with associated names, places and events mentioned.
The divorce records alleged that William had been seen “with some woman whose name is unknown” in London’s Tottenham Court Road
I searched for an ancestor called Fanny
