An interesting quote from, The New Zealand Society of Genealogist e-KIT 0004
QUOTE:
Do You Know?
Lord Hardwicke's Act of 1754 meant that minors wanting to marry needed parental consent, so the Channel Islands became the equivalent of Gretna Green.
This quote comes from page 22 of a little booklet titled 'Family History in Jersey' written in 1991 by Marie-Louise Backhurst and published by the Channel Islands Family History Society.
"Advertisements were actually placed in South Coast newspapers advising of the availability of boats to bring the eloping couple across the Channel. In a similar way the Channel Islands were used when a widower wished to marry his dead wife's sister, as this was forbidden by English Canon Law".
This “Do You Know” fact was provided by J Grant (a member of the Society).
END of QUOTE.
Alan SHARP.
Channel Is. another Gretna Green ?
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Alan SHARP
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Currie
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Re: Channel Is. another Gretna Green ?
That’s interesting Alan,
There are a few comments about Jersey Marriage laws in New Zealand’s Ashburton Guardian, 12th January, 1921.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... +islands--
CUSTOMS OF JERSEY.
STRANGE MARRIAGE LAWS.
The holiday season has again produced the famous collection of curious customs pertaining to the Channel Islands, writes the London correspondent of the "Sun and New York Herald."
"John Bull," making the grand tour on the Continent, has alighted in Jersey, and some of the things he sees strikes him as unique, and he immediately writes to his friends in the "would you believe it possible" strain. Thus, "the thing that struck me almost immediately I arrived was the miles of glass houses growing nothing but tomatoes and cucumbers for the English market; but the strangest thing of all was the tombs in the churchyard. I wondered whether the people ever married there. The tombstones read like this: 'Sacred to the memory of Mary Jones, wife of Thomas Brown.' On inquiry I discovered that a woman does not forfeit her maiden name when she marries, unless she wishes. They are a strange people, are they not.?"
John Bull misses most of the curious customs. After a few hours he follows the usual line of amusement, riding round the island in a "rubberneck" waggon and learning to sing the national anthem. "Here we grow cabbages 10ft tall," and learning to smoke the "Flor de Jersey" cigars and to relish the flavour of the genuine 'cognac' brandy that is vended so cheaply, no duty being imposed to spoil the flavour of his drink, another of the Jersey customs, and he forgets all about marriage in having what he considers a good time.
If you get married in Jersey you take your partner literally until death do you part, there being no divorce under Jersey law. If you are a woman you cannot start a banking account without your husband's permission.
You will have to live with your husband's mother unless he can provide her with a dower house.
Your husband will be entitled to sell your property and grab everything you possess unless you have your possessions divided under the provisions of the Jersey Separation Act. This Act plays a big part in Jersey's life, and the separation of a married couple’s property has almost become a feature of the wedding ceremony. As soon as the bride has been endowed at the altar with all his worldly goods she speeds to the Magistrate's office with him to put her possessions legally out of his reach.
Although the marriage laws of Jersey have been handed down through the ages, practically unchanged since they left the hands of their Norman compilers, the little island has led other lands in one instance. A Jersey man has been allowed to marry his deceased wife's sister for more than 100 years.
I think that if you planned to marry in Jersey it would have been a good idea to first read the fine print.
All the best,
Alan
There are a few comments about Jersey Marriage laws in New Zealand’s Ashburton Guardian, 12th January, 1921.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... +islands--
CUSTOMS OF JERSEY.
STRANGE MARRIAGE LAWS.
The holiday season has again produced the famous collection of curious customs pertaining to the Channel Islands, writes the London correspondent of the "Sun and New York Herald."
"John Bull," making the grand tour on the Continent, has alighted in Jersey, and some of the things he sees strikes him as unique, and he immediately writes to his friends in the "would you believe it possible" strain. Thus, "the thing that struck me almost immediately I arrived was the miles of glass houses growing nothing but tomatoes and cucumbers for the English market; but the strangest thing of all was the tombs in the churchyard. I wondered whether the people ever married there. The tombstones read like this: 'Sacred to the memory of Mary Jones, wife of Thomas Brown.' On inquiry I discovered that a woman does not forfeit her maiden name when she marries, unless she wishes. They are a strange people, are they not.?"
John Bull misses most of the curious customs. After a few hours he follows the usual line of amusement, riding round the island in a "rubberneck" waggon and learning to sing the national anthem. "Here we grow cabbages 10ft tall," and learning to smoke the "Flor de Jersey" cigars and to relish the flavour of the genuine 'cognac' brandy that is vended so cheaply, no duty being imposed to spoil the flavour of his drink, another of the Jersey customs, and he forgets all about marriage in having what he considers a good time.
If you get married in Jersey you take your partner literally until death do you part, there being no divorce under Jersey law. If you are a woman you cannot start a banking account without your husband's permission.
You will have to live with your husband's mother unless he can provide her with a dower house.
Your husband will be entitled to sell your property and grab everything you possess unless you have your possessions divided under the provisions of the Jersey Separation Act. This Act plays a big part in Jersey's life, and the separation of a married couple’s property has almost become a feature of the wedding ceremony. As soon as the bride has been endowed at the altar with all his worldly goods she speeds to the Magistrate's office with him to put her possessions legally out of his reach.
Although the marriage laws of Jersey have been handed down through the ages, practically unchanged since they left the hands of their Norman compilers, the little island has led other lands in one instance. A Jersey man has been allowed to marry his deceased wife's sister for more than 100 years.
I think that if you planned to marry in Jersey it would have been a good idea to first read the fine print.
All the best,
Alan
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Alan SHARP
- Posts: 612
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 9:41 pm
- Location: Waikato, New Zealand
Re: Channel Is. another Gretna Green ?
Greetings.
I posted the quote, because there have been a number of posts lately, where searchers have found good evidence of where their family members were residing pre marriage, but no record of a marriage in the greater Glasgow area, where they were expecting to find a record.
The clip shows how, at times, couples travelled some distance to get married, and at the least expected of places.
Alan SHARP.
I posted the quote, because there have been a number of posts lately, where searchers have found good evidence of where their family members were residing pre marriage, but no record of a marriage in the greater Glasgow area, where they were expecting to find a record.
The clip shows how, at times, couples travelled some distance to get married, and at the least expected of places.
Alan SHARP.