Note 292 — Chapter XI · HISTORY OF SEPARATION AND DIVORCE UNDER ENGLISH AND ECCLESIASTICAL LAW (continued 2)

First Report of the Commission of 1847-8, v, vi, xii; Hammick, Marriage Law, 33 n. b; Geary, Marriage and Family Relations, 11, 30 n. 3. See Huth, Marriage of Near Kin, 129 n. 1.

According to the Report (viii), since the Lyndhurst act (1835) there had been 1,364 marriages within the prohibited degrees, of which nine-tenths were with a deceased wife's sister. Only in 88 cases had the act prevented an intended marriage; and of these 32 resulted in open cohabitation. Ten of the 88 cases were among the lower classes. See the epitome of evidence, xvii-xxxix; the minutes of evidence, 1-120; and the interesting letters and papers in the Appendix, 121-65.