Topic: Law
A professor at the University of Exeter studied bigamy cases over 400 years. She found that only about 30,000 people were tried for bigamy in England and Wales during this time. Most were convicted and punished harshly.
Bigamy has been a rare crime in England and Wales over the past 400 years. According to Professor Rebecca Probert of the University of Exeter, no more than 30,000 people have ever been tried for bigamy during this period.
Most bigamy trials took place between 1900 and 1959, with the highest number of prosecutions happening in 1943 at around 1,000 cases. This was partly due to increases during World War I and II. Professor Probert's research uses legal archives, newspapers, census data, parish registers, divorce petitions, and family histories.
The punishments for bigamy were harsh, ranging from execution, branding, whipping, transportation, and imprisonment to fines and community service in recent decades. One historian claimed that the 1604 Bigamy Act treated bigamists leniently, but Professor Probert found that it actually made bigamy punishable by hanging.
She also discovered remarkable stories of individuals who were convicted of bigamy. For example, Gloucester Gale was convicted of five counts of bigamy in 1859 and sentenced to four years' penal servitude. He had married at least six different women between 1849 and 1858, using different aliases each time.
Professor Probert's work overturns previous assumptions about bigamy, showing it was rarer than thought and never socially acceptable. She emphasizes that every case has its own complex mix of desire, deception, and heartbreak.
Why It Matters
This study is important because it shows how the law has evolved over time and how people's lives have been affected by bigamy. It also highlights the need for accurate understanding and representation of historical events.
Key Facts
- Only about 30,000 people were tried for bigamy in England and Wales over the past 400 years.
- Most bigamy trials took place between 1900 and 1959.
- The highest number of prosecutions happened in 1943 at around 1,000 cases.
- Punishments for bigamy ranged from execution to fines and community service.
- Professor Rebecca Probert's research uses a variety of sources, including legal archives and family histories.
Key Terms
- Bigamy
- The act of marrying someone while still being married to another person.
Implications
This study is important because it shows how the law has evolved over time and how people's lives have been affected by bigamy. It also highlights the need for accurate understanding and representation of historical events.
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