Divorce in the 40s/50s

[cadmium]

I have just found out that my mother was previously married in the mid-40s, divorcing or seperating in either the late 40s or the early 50s.

I was wondering if anybody could tell me how common this was back then, and how people might have looked on it. We know she had a fall out with her family so it might be in relation to the seperation.

Also, is there a way to track down divorce certificates? I guess it is quite recent so there might be issues there, but it would be good to hear some general information or memories about divorce at that time.

P.S. On a seperate note, my sister has just found out that that the first husband, Mr S, has an entry for a different marriage 10 years previously than to my mums! No death certificate for the woman, so either she divorced him too or she moved away or he's a bigamist!

God, my family skeletons!

[ROY M]

Hi mikokunsaki
I only found out recently in a reply to one of my post that you can search on National Archive Scotland web site for divorces. I've found quite a few of my relies.
On the search page put in the persons name in the phrase search box and dates if you've got them. You don't see any documents but it will give you dates and reference numbers.

[AndrewP]

Hi mikokunsaki,

Have you seen her marriage certificate on ScotlandsPeople (if the marriage was more than 75 year past) or in the ScotlandsPeople Centre / New Register House / one of their outposts (if the marriage was within the last 75 years)? If the marriage ended in divorce, there is usually an RCE stamp on the certificate in the left margin. The stamp mark will sometimes have divorce hand-written within it. The RCE stamp indicates that there is an entry in the Register of Corrected Entries. A look at the RCE certificate would give some details of the divorce. Divorce certificates as a register in their own right exist in the statutory registers only since 1984.

As Roy says, the other route to divorce information is through the National Archives of Scotland.

All the best,

AndrewP

[ninatoo]

My Gran and Grandfather divorced in 1946. I was lucky enough to have her summons from Edinburgh dated 10 May 1946 which was in Gran's papers. The Summons reads like a statement of what has happened from my Grandfather's point of view. Then there was a Court of Session, Edinburgh letter, granting divorce on 12 July 1946.

I know the NAS has some sort of record on ther for my Gran but I haven't followed it up yet!

I don't know what people thought of divorce back then, but I do know Gran was probably not the world's best X-wife. She wouldn't allow my father to see his dad until he was 21. She kept her married name too. I am not sure why, after so many years.

Nina

[Hugo]

Thanks for the information about divorces. Something for me to follow up.

I don't think they were common. I can't remember any talk of divorce among relatives, friends, or neighbours.

[joette]

Even as a child in the sixties there was a huge scandal if somebody divorced.We had a neighbour who was divorced & the daughter was described as a "poor wee soul".I couldn't understand as she was the best dressed & the had the biggest toy collection I had seen.Her Father was a weekend one & would take her out for the day & she would get lots of treats etc.I suppose the goodies didn't make up for the loss of a full-time Father was the reason she was a poor wee soul.
When my Aunt divorced in the early seventies the family were shocked-first one in the family & all that.The attitude was you had made your vows & should just get on with it.I do know that my Great-Grandparents were seperated on several occasions(post WW1).Although living in seperate households they would not divorce for the shame it would bring.The children flitted between the two & ended up withn their Father when their Mother died.

[cadmium]

Thanks all for your very helpful comments!

I searched on NAS (thanks for the tip - didn't know there was an online search!) but couldn't find any mention of her there in the divorce papers. I am not currently living in Scotland so can't make the trip to Edinburgh but I intend to order the marriage cert online. Mum never talked about her first husband, and I am starting to suspect she never did divorce + marry again to my father, as there is no record on Scotlands People of a subsequent marraige even though she used my father's name!

I shall wait to see the certificate and see if there is an RCE stamp!

[ninatoo]

If you were born in Scotland, your own birth registration should say where and when your parents married.

Speaking of living in separate houses....my other set of grandparents did that from the early 60's until death. But they were Catholic, and so divorce just wasn't an option for them in those days (in their eyes).

[smudge]

I had a step uncle who was divorced and remarried in a Roman Catholic Church in the 1930's. I have the name from the first marriage but no certificate. He was in India in the 1920's. I had been told to look at the sherrif court records but where. He came from a very poor family and remarried at aged 27. There is a story there and I wish I could find it

[LesleyB]

Hi smudge

I had been told to look at the sherrif court records but where.

Have you searched the NAS catalogue using the name(s)?

Best wishes
Lesley