The Story of Divorce

Deborah Siddoway
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Exploring the stories of the bigamists and bastards, feminists and fornicators that gave us the law of divorce in England as it exists today.

  1. 03/08/2022

    A Vile and Incestuous Intercourse

    The story of Louisa Turton's marriage, and the circumstances which led to her petitioning Parliament for a divorce, becoming the second woman to be successful in her petition for a Parliamentary divorce.

    12 min

  2. 02/28/2022

    Guilty of so Atrocious a Crime

    This is the story of the first Parliamentary divorce granted to a woman, Mrs Jane Addison in 1801. TW: Listeners should note that a 1696 pamphlet is quoted during this episode in which married women are equated with enslaved "negroes". This a direct quote from the pamphlet, reflecting the language of the time.

    25 min

  3. 02/08/2022

    Without Shame or Modesty

    The story of the Earl of Macclesfield, who obtained the second Parliamentary divorce in England; before exploring the story of the Duke of Norfolk who, despite being a man 'without shame or modesty' who carried on his own notorious affair, secured the third divorce in England.

    26 min

  4. 01/12/2022

    An Impudent, Infamous, and Lascivious Way

    Concluding the story of the first divorce in England, that of Lord Roos from Lady Anne Manners. In this episode, we hear of how the parliamentary debates were observed by Charles II, as he considered the possibility of his own divorce.

    24 min

  5. 01/04/2022

    The Curious Case of Adulterine Bastardy

    The story of the first divorce in England. After the Archbishop of Canterbury made divorce almost impossible in 1601, though some, including the poet John Milton, would speak out about the inability to divorce and bring a marriage to an end, it would take decades before one man would attempt to attain a divorce from his adulterous wife. This man was Lord Roos, who was heir to the earldom of Rutland.

    26 min

  6. 12/14/2021

    As is Notoriously Known

    In this episode we explore the two marriages of William Parr, the brother of Catherine Parr, and how he almost (but not quite) achieved the first divorce in England. We also explore the divorce à mensa et thoro , a legal separation from 'bed and board', which allowed married couples to live separately and apart, but unable to end their marriages, or marry again.

    24 min

  7. 12/01/2021

    Scandalum Magnatum

    The story of the short-lived marriage of Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves, and how that too ended in an annulment, not divorce. This episode begins to explore how the legislation Henry enacted to end his marriages would shape the development of the law of divorce in England for centuries to come.

    29 min

  8. 11/26/2021

    Utterly Void and Annulled

    This episode brings to a conclusion the story of Catherine of Aragon as she struggled to salvage her marriage in the face of Henry VIII's determination to 'divorce' her.

    26 min
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About

Exploring the stories of the bigamists and bastards, feminists and fornicators that gave us the law of divorce in England as it exists today.

Information

  • Creator
    Deborah Siddoway
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2022
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Deborah Siddoway
  • Show Website
    The Story of Divorce