Despite the infamous divorce of Henry VIII in 1529, subsequent moral, political, and religious attitudes ensured that until 1857, England was the only Protestant country with virtually no facilities for full divorce on the grounds of adultery, desertion, or cruelty. Using a mass of transcribed legal testimonies, taken from hitherto unexplored court records, this book uncovers the means by which laity and lawyers reformed the divorce laws, and offers insights into our ancestors' changing views about what makes a marriage. Using personal accounts in which witnesses speak freely about their moral ... More

Despite the infamous divorce of Henry VIII in 1529, subsequent moral, political, and religious attitudes ensured that until 1857, England was the only Protestant country with virtually no facilities for full divorce on the grounds of adultery, desertion, or cruelty. Using a mass of transcribed legal testimonies, taken from hitherto unexplored court records, this book uncovers the means by which laity and lawyers reformed the divorce laws, and offers insights into our ancestors' changing views about what makes a marriage. Using personal accounts in which witnesses speak freely about their moral attitudes towards love, sex, adultery, and marriage, it reveals the full and complex story of how English men and women have contrived to use, twist, or defy the law in order to deal with marital breakdown.