Advice/Help with Previous marriage dissolved please.

[Steve C]

Recently ordered a 1967 marriage certificate for an ancestor of mine.

Both parties have listed in the condition box of the duplicate marriage certificate "Previous marriage dissolved".

It has been a couple of years or more since I last used the National Archives website, I am sure there was a section dedicated to divorce records ( vaguely recall something like J33 ), anyway couldn`t locate this section when I signed in yesterday. I just clicked on Catalogue and entered the name of each ancestor using dates from 1960 to 1970. On each occasion I received the following message "We did not find any results for your search".

Although I do not have subscription to Anc***** ( but I can use my local library edition when I next visit ) I did enter both my ancestors names into the search box. Nothing came up in the results options apart from birth, marriage and death records. Not even a mention in wills or family trees.

Not to be beaten I thought I would try BNA, again I do not have subscription but the local library does have a version. Sadly no relevant results were highlighted.

The only other point that may be worth mentioning. Both ancestors lived local to my vicinity with their previous partners before they travelled over 100 miles away and remarried in Yorkshire. I believe they stayed there until my male ancestor passed away.

Would appreciate some advice on where to search next.

Many thanks in advance for all offers of help 

Steve

[AntonyMMM]

The series is J 77, but you won't find anything that recent there.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/divorce/


You can order a copy of the decree absolute, but not any case papers, from the court service but it can be expensive if you don't have the full details.

https://www.gov.uk/copy-decree-absolute-final-order

[Steve C]

The series is J 77, but you won't find anything that recent there.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/divorce/


You can order a copy of the decree absolute, but not any case papers, from the court service but it can be expensive if you don't have the full details.

https://www.gov.uk/copy-decree-absolute-final-order

Many thanks AnthonyMMM for your reply and the links you supply.

Yep, thats the one J77 and as you mention (now that I have clicked the link) nothing recent.

I have also clicked the Gov.Uk link too. Like you say, it can be expensive, especially as I have no details or 16 digit case number.

Once again many thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to research and post your findings 

[susieroe]

As this couple lived local to you it is possible that they would likely use solicitors from the local area. Maybe, one or both even had a family solicitor who had dealt with previous family matters. This might be found from records of earlier generations. A long shot. and a long haul, but could you trawl through solicitors' names from the time and make enquiries from them? I assume you only need the year and place so they might be willing to give you these.

[Steve C]

As this couple lived local to you it is possible that they would likely use solicitors from the local area. Maybe, one or both even had a family solicitor who had dealt with previous family matters. This might be found from records of earlier generations. A long shot. and a long haul, but could you trawl through solicitors' names from the time and make enquiries from them? I assume you only need the year and place so they might be willing to give you these.

Thankyou very much susieroe for your reply and for the details you enclose.

There are presently 6 solicitors in the vicinity, two are newish, one has amalgamated with another firm and three are still in business from the 1960s.

It could be worth a visit to those three, however, when I enquired last year about a deceased ancestors Coroners Inquest I was informed that only very close family members would be able to apply for access. Just wondering if the same restrictions may apply in respect of the divorce paperwork?

There is a conundrum though, did they elope first before get their marriages dissolved in Yorkshire or would the marriages have been dissolved locally?

[Galium]

Have you tried local newspapers for a report of the divorce?  By the '60s, a divorce would have become less newsworthy than in earlier times, but that would depend on the circumstances.

Also, before the Divorce Reform act of 1969, (which came into force 1 January 1971), only the 'innocent' party could petition for divorce, so if either of the couple you are looking at had a spouse who didn't wish to cooperate (for a while at any rate), they might have gone to live together elsewhere before they were free to marry. 

If electoral registers and telephone directories are available for the relevant areas you might be able to tell how long they were still at the address where they lived with their first spouses, and when they start appearing in the place where they married.

[Steve C]

Have you tried local newspapers for a report of the divorce?  By the '60s, a divorce would have become less newsworthy than in earlier times, but that would depend on the circumstances.

Also, before the Divorce Reform act of 1969, (which came into force 1 January 1971), only the 'innocent' party could petition for divorce, so if either of the couple you are looking at had a spouse who didn't wish to cooperate (for a while at any rate), they might have gone to live together elsewhere before they were free to marry. 

If electoral registers and telephone directories are available for the relevant areas you might be able to tell how long they were still at the address where they lived with their first spouses, and when they start appearing in the place where they married.

Thank you very much Galium for your reply and your suggestions.

The local library does have the local paper on microfilm, so that might be an option. The local library also has electoral registers, never gave those a thought, so thats a great shout  . Think I will try exploring those first, see where the information and detail takes me.