In Badsey, as within many close-knit communities of the time, there were a number of cousins marrying cousins and step-relatives marrying step-relatives. A few people were unable to marry and had to live together as common-law man and wife, eg until 1907, even though no blood relative, a man was forbidden to marry his dead wife’s sister. The following list shows the forbidden partners for marriage as stated in The Book of Common Prayer of 1662.
|
A man may not marry his: |
A woman may not marry her: |
||
|
1 |
Grandmother |
1 |
Grandfather |
|
2 |
Grandfather's wife |
2 |
Grandmother's husband |
|
3 |
Wife's grandmother |
3 |
Husband's grandfather |
|
4 |
Father's sister |
4 |
Father's brother |
|
5 |
Mother's sister |
5 |
Mother's brother |
|
6 |
Father's brother's wife |
6 |
Father's sister's husband |
|
7 |
Mother's brother's wife |
7 |
Mother's sister's husband |
|
8 |
Wife's father's sister |
8 |
Husband's father's brother |
|
9 |
Wife's mother's sister |
9 |
Husband's mother's brother |
|
10 |
Mother |
10 |
Father |
|
11 |
Step-mother |
11 |
Step-father |
|
12 |
Wife's mother |
12 |
Husband's father |
|
13 |
Daughter |
13 |
Son |
|
14 |
Wife's daughter |
14 |
Husband's son |
|
15 |
Son's wife |
15 |
Daughter's husband |
|
16 |
Sister |
16 |
Brother |
|
17 |
Wife's sister |
17 |
Husband's brother |
|
18 |
Brother's wife |
18 |
Sister's husband |
|
19 |
Son's daughter |
19 |
Son's son |
|
20 |
Daughter's daughter |
20 |
Daughter's son |
|
21 |
Son's son's wife |
21 |
Son's daughter's husband |
|
22 |
Daughter's son's wife |
22 |
Daughter's daughter's husband |
|
23 |
Wife's son's daughter |
23 |
Husband's son's son |
|
24 |
Wife's daughter's daughter |
24 |
Husband's daughter's son |
|
25 |
Brother's daughter |
25 |
Brother's son |
|
26 |
Sister's daughter |
26 |
Sister's son |
|
27 |
Brother's son's wife |
27 |
Brother's daughter's husband |
|
28 |
Sister's son's wife |
28 |
Sister's daughter's husband |
|
29 |
Wife's brother's daughter |
29 |
Husband's brother's son |
|
30 |
Wife's sister's daughter |
30 |
Husband's sister's son |
Notes
1907 Marriage Act – Number 17 removed, provided the wife had died, ie a man could marry his deceased wife’s sister
1921 Marriage Act – Number 18 removed
1931 Marriage Act – Numbers 6 & 7, 8 & 9, 27 & 28, 29 & 30 removed from the list
1949 Marriage Act – Confirmed the 1931 situation, but a different order and more distinctive names were used, eg father’s mother and mother’s mother for grandmother Number 1; the numbers removed in 1931 were put into a separate table, indicating that these relatives were prohibited if the affinity link was alive, but permitted if the link was dead