Francis E Walton bigamous marriage?

[bevshortt]

Looking for information on Francis (Frank) E Walton who married a Mary A J Short in Brighton in 1935. She was I believe a nurse and he a doctor. The marriage was bigamus as he already had a family up North somewhere?? He was already married with a family (poss in Manchester/London area) so could have been quite a bit older than her I suppose. I know that he was sentenced to two years in prison for bigamy and apparently he was a Freemason in Hove and lived there but at which lodge and where I am unsure. My grandmother I think knew that he was already married as she registered my father's birth (Thomas Short) in her maiden name the following year when he was born.
There is a Francis E Walton who married a Lilian E Dobson in Steyning in 1934. My Grandmother Mary A J Short had my auntie Barbara in 1934 and registered her in Steyning under the name Shortt (2 t's?). She then 'married' FEW in Brighton in 1935. Am assuming that this could all tie in somewhere. I don't know a lot about my grandmother except that she originally came from Ireland (possibly Dublin). Apparently the bigamus marriage was all over The (Brighton) Argus newspapers front page at the time as it was a dreadful scandal (poss 1941/43) but I have not been able to find anything on this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[dawnsh]

Hi Bev

You asked for this information in 2014 but didn't get much help at that time

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=697239.0

Have you asked the East Sussex archives for help?

http://www.thekeep.info/

[carol8353]

I was just going to post the same thing Dawn,as I started to do some look ups and recognised that I could not find anything last time I looked.

When you say she married FEW in Brighton in 1935,what do you mean , I can't see a Mary Short or Mary Walton marriage to anyone called Few?

Carol

[Ruskie]

The 1939 register might be worth a look.

(Also perhaps electoral rolls (to determine who was living with who))

If you can find the appropriate births and marriages purchasing the certificates should give you his father's name plus other infrmation (if the truth was told) and may help sort out if it was the same Frank who married Lilian.

Added: I couldn't find anything in the papers on FindMyPast, though I am not used to the site, however if it was such a scandal you would expect several reports about it.

[dawnsh]

I think FEW are his initials 

[Ruskie]

Just checked again. He is named as Frank rather than Francis in newspaper reports.(and he was an electrician not a doctor) and was aged 37 in 1935.(oops, I see this information was given on your other thread).

This report in the Bexhill on Sea Observer was a tiny article on page 22. It may have been front page scandal in another paper. 

I am thinking that of your grandmother was not legally married to Mr Walton, as he was already married to someone else, then your father would automatically have been registered in your grandmother's maiden surname.

You have stated that your grandmother "married" (in inverted commas) FEW. Does this mean that she lived with him but you suspect they did not marry? If FEW are his initials, are you able to tell us his name, or is he still living?

[carol8353]

Following on from Ruskie's comment that he is named as Frank in the Bexhill paper's report.
They also have him down as Frank Evelyn Walton,so maybe there's another clue.

Carol

Thanks Dawn  I hadn't worked out that would be his initials late last night 

[bevshortt]

Does anyone have a link to the Bexhill paper please?

[willsy]

There are 2 newspaper articles as Frank Evelyn Walton FindMyPast

7 December 1935 - Bexhill-on-Sea Observer - Bexhill, East Sussex

6 December 1935 - Sussex Agricultural Express - Lewes, East Sussex