Report of a Case of Legitimacy, Under a Putative Marriage, Tried...
An Unusual Scottish Case Involving Clandestine Marriage and Legitimacy Bell, Robert [c.1760-1816]. Report of a Case of Legitimacy, Under a Putative Marriage, Tried Before the Second Division of the Court of Session in February 1811. Edinburgh: Printed for Bell & Bradfute; London: Butterworth & Son, 1825. vii, 228 pp. Octavo (8-3/4" x 5-1/2"). Later cloth, lettering piece and blind fillets to spine, endpapers renewed, deckle fore and bottom-edges. Moderate toning to interior, light foxing and dampspotting in places, library stamp to title page and a few other leaves. $450. * Only edition. A detailed account of an extraordinary and "clandestine" Scottish legal battle. The case centers on an heiress who entered into a secret marriage while underage, only to later marry a second husband who was unaware of her prior commitment. Upon the discovery of the first marriage, the legitimacy of the child from the second union was challenged. This report is a vital source for the study of "Putative Marriage"-a rare legal protection for children of invalid unions. The text includes lengthy and brilliant excerpts from the arguments of Francis Jeffrey, the famed jurist and critic. Overall, this title provides deep insight into the 19th-century Scottish Court of Session's handling of clandestine marriages and social status. Sweet & Maxwell, A Legal Bibliography of the British Commonwealth 5:23.
Price: $450.00
Book number 76010