Thread: Help needed about finding out about annulled marriages

Does anyone know how to find out about how a marriage was annulled?



What might be grounds for annullment?



Who would hear this - would it have gone to court -, and where might any records be found, especially for those in the 1950s?

Grounds for annulment would be non-consummation or either of the parties being unable to marry legally - ie if they were too closely related, or one of them was already married.



If a marriage isn't consummated or if there are reasons that the couple shouldn't marry, then the anulment is done as it shows the marriage never existed, unlike divorce.



Not sure where the records would be kept, but perhaps this would be first place to try:

Principal Registry of the Family Division

First Avenue House

42-49 High Holborn

London

WC2V 6NP

Tel: 020 7947 6971 or (international) +44 7947 6971

Thank you so much - I will try this.

Hi Somerset3,



Even if records can be obtained, I would think that records for the 1950's would be covered by privacy regulations as these people may still be living. Another reason I know for annulment is where one party marries to get British citizenship without the other knowing.

Thanks - that's helpful. This one is a bit of a puzzle as the people concerned are now deceased. Its not urgent though, just that when I was told about this family secret, it interested me as I've not come across this before, and didn't know how to proceed. I suppose its a case of curiosity - I'd love to know on what grounds they got an annullment. It is interesting as in the subsequent respective remarriages they gave their status as spinster and bachelor respectively, so if it hadn't been for family information we would not have known about the earlier marriage as there is no hint of it in the (Church of England) marriage certificates. I just wonder how many more are out there, and yet there is no hint of it for us family historians. Thanks anyway.