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James TITHERADGE [1748-?] - Mary FABIAN

 
 
 
 
Daniel Titheridge
He had a son who was:
aniel Tytheridge
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Daniel Tytheridge married Rebecca Baker
Their children:
John Tytheridge (c.1745-?), Daniel (c.1746-50), James Tytheridge (c. 1748-?),
Elizabeth 1851-?), Daniel (1854-?)
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James Titheradge (1748-?) married  Mary Fabian
Their children:
Mary (1772-?) Beckey Fabian (1778-?), James Fabian (c. 1784-?), Elizabeth F. (1789-?),
Lizzy (1791-?), Christopher [Chris?] F [c 1792-?] 
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Christopher married  Martha Sutton [c1792-1867]
Their children:
Elizabeth [1814-?], James Fabian [1816-], Frances M [1821-?], George R [1825-?],
Ursula Jane [1827-?]  
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James Fabian [1816-1877] married Henrietta Ann Jamison [?}
Their child:
James W. [1843-90]
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Jame's second wife Dianah Frances Jamieson
Their childrein:
, Matilda W. [1854-?], Edwin J. [1856-?], Henrietta [1857-?], Victoria [1859-?], Frederick G [1861-?]
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Monday, 29 April 2019

Dead Wife’s Sister Act

 
 

Thou Shalt Not Marry….


While researching for the previous post about cousins marrying I came across a list of people it was illegal to marry in the UK. The list was originally drawn up by the Church of England in 16th century.  The list is long and can be found here.  A brief summary is that you cannot marry someone with the following relationship to you.
sibling;  parent / child;  grandchild;  aunt / uncle (blood relative or by marriage);  nephew / niece (blood relative or by marriage);  child of a former spouse;  former spouse of a parent or grandparent;  grandchildren of a former spouse.
 

Dead Wife’s Sister (Sister-In-Law)


While most forbidden marriages were logical, on the nineteenth century version of the list there was one inclusion that caught my eye “You cannot marry your dead wife’s sister”. This had been added to the list of forbidden marriages by a law passed in 1835. This law was  based on the fact that according to the Bible those who were related by marriage were regarded as being related to each other in a way which made marriage between them improper.

The reason I found this strange was that I knew marriages to a sister-in-law did happen in nineteenth century England and was not that rare. In the nineteeth century, it was not unusual for a woman to die in childbirth. The husband could be left with several small children to look after. The poor could not afford to pay someone to help look after the children, so often an unmarried sister or sister-in-law would move in to the home to assist in looking after her nieces and nephews. In this situation it was not uncommon for a relationship to develop between the widower and his sister-in-law and marriage occurred.

Technically this marriage between a man and his dead wife’s sister was illegal and a vicar was supposed to refuse to marry them. To get around the law the rich would travel out of the country to get married. The poor just ignored the law. Sometimes people would get married in a neighbouring parish, so the vicar wouldn’t know they were marrying illegally. In some cases a vicar may have turned a blind eye to the relationship to avoid the couple having to “live in sin”.

 

1907 Dead Wife’s Sister Act


The marriage between a man and his dead wife’s sister was made illegal by an act of 1835. The supporters of the law argued it was a slippery slope to incest. Their arguments based on the Bible where in Genesis it states that husband and wife "became one flesh," therefore the logic was that your wife's sister was really your own sister.

In 1842 some Members of Parliament tried to repeal the law, but they were met with fierce opposition. During the next 65 years there were several attempts to repeal the law, but the arguments continued, and it was 1907 when the law was finally changed. These marriages were finally legalised by a 1907 Act of Parliament “The Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act” allowing marriage between a widow and his dead wife’s sister. By 1907 the prohibition had long been lifted in most of Europe, the United States and the colonies.

A similar situation existed in reverse for women and it was illegal for a widow to marry her dead husband’s brother, however, this type of marriage was not legalised for another five years with the passing of “The Deceased Brother's Widow's Marriage Act 1921”.

 

Our Family


In our family trees I have come across two incidences of marriages between a man and his dead wife’s sister.
 

Titheridge Family


Ernest George Titheridge born in Droxford in 1886 married Winifred Violet Jones in 1913 at Winchester. Winifred died in 1949. In 1957 Ernest went on to marry Winfred’s sister Irene Jones in Winchester. This was a perfectly legal marriage as it is after the 1907 Act.
 

Titheradge Family


James Fabian Titheradge also married sisters. James was born in Portsmouth in 1816. On 9 June 1842 he married Henrietta Ann Jamison in Portsea St Mary. James and Henrietta had 1 child James Walter Titheradge born in 1843. Henrietta died in 1846 leaving James with a three-year-old child to look after. On 24 March 1853 James married Henrietta’s sister, Dianah Frances Jamison. Between 1854 and 1861 James and Dianah had five children, three boys and two girls. James and Dianah continued to live in Portsmouth with James dying in 1877 and Dianah dying a few years later in 1884.

 

Special Note: If you look at the end of Rosemary's letter which follows you will note the listing of the family of Henry T and Eliza Jenkins. From Rosemary's notes one could conclude it was Titheridge... however, see above and click here

My Hampshire Genealogical Society No. 2804.

28 Compton Way
Olivers Battery
Winchester
S02 4HS
England
8th August, 1986

 

Mr. J. Tidridge
11315 60 Street
Edmonton Alberta
T5W 3Z2 Canada

Dear Mr. Tidridge,

Your entry in the August, 1986 HGS journal caught my eye as I too am interested in the name Titheridge. My connection seems to be in Southampton and dates back to the marriage of John Tithridge and Mary Tucker on 9th October, 1768. John and Mary were my great grandparents by 4. My line is from them as follows:
John Tithridge to Mary Tucker their children were: (For more information on John and Mary click here)
Mary born/bap(tized) 1770 m(arried) John Cooper 1789
Sarah b(orn) 1772 m(arried)Paul Diaper 1791
Anne b(orn) 1773 m(arried) Robert Giles 1794
Elizabeth b(orn) -1782 m(arried) James Wheeler 1806
John b(orn) 1784 1. m(arried) Harriet Diaper 1807 2. m. ? Jane?

According to John's will date 1824 all of his five children had issue.
Anne Tithridge married Robert Giles 22nd November, 1794 their children included Anne Giles bap(tised)/born. 1797 who married Thomas Gibbens in 1818.

The children of Anne Giles and Thomas Gibbens included:
Celia Gibbens born 1838 or 1840 who married Robert Tribbekk in May 1862.
The children of Celia Gibbens and Robert Tribbekk include my grandmother Rose Tribbekk, born 1870.

Unfortunately my time for searching any of the names I am interested in is very limited and I have not gone far into the Titheridge line. However, if you do not know already, you may be interested that the Wills index in the Hampshire Records Office at Winchester includes three Titheridges. The earliest is that of Annae T. (presumably latinised Anne) of Kilmeston dated 1730. On asking for sight of this will I was told it seems to be missing which is very disappointing. I was fortunate to obtain the will of John Titheridge mentioned above which is dated 1824, and was proved in 1825. If you have not already got this, and think it would be useful I would send you a copy which I would have to obtain from the HRO. Lastly, the Index refers to the will of Daniel of Kilmeston dated 1844, who was apparently a tailor. Again I would be pleased to get you a copy if you would find it helpful.

I daresay you are familiar with the geography of Hampshire and will know that Kilmeston is a small village a few miles south of Cheriton, which in turn is a few miles south of Alresford. I enclose a sketch plan in case you are not familiar.

To go back to my ancestor John. His will indicated that four of his children were alive at his death:
Sarah the wife of Paul Diaper had died some years earlier.
Also Mary his wife had died in 1817 aged 74.
John himself was a mariner, owned his own fishing smack and lived to the good age of 85. He was based at the east side of Southampton water - an area which has now been swallowed up and is probably better known as the district of Woolston.

I see that another HGS member, Mr. V.F .L. Grevitt (No. 1458) of 45 Holmwood Road, Chessington, KT9 lQU is also interested in the name Tithridge at Swanmore, Hampshire, circa 1830. No doubt we shall both be contacting Mr. Grevitt about our common interest in the Titheridges. Please keep me in mind if you come across anything of interest, and I will do the same.

To conclude here are a few other Titheridges I have come across :
Elizabeth T bap(tised) 6 April, 1828 Dau(ghter). of John T. Labourer and Sarah (Meonstoke parish Records:
Frances T m(arried) 18 Sept. 1785 to John Silly (sp(ecial) licence) Twyford Parish
Henry T m(arried) 27, July 1828 to Eliza Jenkins, All Saints, Southampton children include:
Henry Bap(tised) 28 June 1829
James Bap(tised) Sept 1830
Sarah Anne Nov 1834
Henry Sr, was a painter and lived at 14 Cross Street, Southampton
John. T. married 24 December 1789 to Mary Berry, Twyford Parish records.

Good hunting.

Yours sincerely,

Miss Rosemary Cole.

 

James Fabian Titheradge Family Bible

From Ann Titheradge

http://titheradgetitheridge.blogspot.ca/2015/12/family-bibles.html

 

 

The James Walter [1903-59]      Titherdage family

 

From Ann Titheradge

http://titheradgetitheridge.blogspot.ca/2015/12/wordless-wednesday-10-james-walter.html

 

 

 
e-mail : Care to comment?
John Tidridge

 

 
 
 
 

 

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