Attitude to divorce by an Act of Parliament in eighteenth-century England

Abstract

The eighteenth-century England was different from other Protestant countries in its lack of popular access to divorce; most spouses settled for separation from bed and board, semi-legal procedures or simply desertion. Divorces by Acts of Parliament that opened the possibility for a remarriage were not in high demand. The article analyses the attitude of the English to divorce and uncovers the reasons for the unwillingness to use the procedure including spread of information about one’s private life, perceived danger to reputation and morality as well as the cost and duration of the proceedings.