My G-grandfather married his deceased wife's sister!
According to the 1881 census, his occupation was Tailor/Draper at 52
Michael Street, Peel. Employed 3 men and a boy. Also living there
was Louise Caine, a niece of William Caine.
It is interesting to note that on the death of Esther, William
married her sister Lizzie in 1873. As it was not lawful until 1907,
for a man to marry his dead wife's sister, one can only wonder how
he got away with it!
Since September, 1835, the marriage with a deceased wife's sister has
been illegal in England & Wales. Up to that date the marriage was not
void, but voidable by an action raised in the Ecclesiastical Court
during the lifetime of the parents. This course had occasionally the
effect of keeping doubtful the legitimacy of children during a
considerable portion of their lives. Lord Lyndhurst's object in
passing the Act of 1835 was primarily to legitimatize the marriage of
Lord George Hill, son of the Marquis of Downshire, who had married
Miss Knight, sister of his late wife. During the passage of the bill
through Parliament this class of marriage was rendered illegal for
the future.
As quoted earlier there was no specific Manx equivalent of these
regulations though it would appear that the English law applied -
Bishop Wilson was keen to return to the original church legislation.
A Burning Question !
It has been remarked that one of the principal objects in life of the
average Englishman - and probably, Manxman - is to marry his deceased
wife's sister, and to judge from the pertinacity with which he
pursues the coveted privilege, he won't be happy till he gets it. The
question has been asked, "Why doesn't he marry the sister first?" But
that would hardly get over the difficulty; he might want them both!.
If, however, the Bill shortly to be introduced into the Manx
Legislature by Mr J. R. Cowell becomes law, we in the Island will
have the opportunity, denied to our friends across the water, of
marrying as many deceased wife's sisters as we like - seriatim , of
course - an opportunity, which it may be safely anticipated, will be
immediately embraced There is sometimes a sentimental objection felt
to what is known as stepping into other people's shoes, but even that
will be removed, if, as is very probable, they happen to have been
made by Proctor.
[the last statement was a pun in that Mr Proctor (like Mr Cowell,)
was a well known Primitive Methodist LP and MHK as well as a major
shoemaker in Douglas!]
Such marriages were legal elsewhere - there is at least one related
Manx case: Francis Southward married his deceased wife's sister in
the Channel Islands.