William Mansfield 1803 - 1844

William Mansfield (1803 - 1844)

William Mansfield was born in 1803 and baptised on ? in Barsby. He was the fourth child (and second one named William) of William Mansfield and Ann Parker. William Snr was also a carpenter, and all of his sons followed him into the trade. It is unknown why William relocated to Kegworth, however we know that he was living there

On 23 Feb 1826 William married Ann Starkey - who was 17 at the time - in Kegworth. Ann is the daughter of William Starkey and Sarah Marriot. William Mansfield and Ann had gained a formal license from Thomas Stevenson on 21 Feb 1826. This was necessary because Ann was under 21 and meant that the reading of Banns was not necessary.  The marriage was witnessed by her father William Starkey and her sister Elizabeth Newham.

William and Anne had at two children :

• Sarah Starkey Mansfield Born 1827 Died 1898. Married Thomas Fullelove 1846

• Robert Mansfield Born 1829. Died 1902. Married Ann Porter 1865

There is a William Mansfield in Leicester who is charged with Fraud in Oct 1827 - but the charge is not prosecuted. This is potentially our William however further research is required.

It appears that some time between 1829 and 1833 it appears that the marriage broke down, we know this because on Dec 14 1833 William marries Eliza Clarissa Price at St Marys, Bryanstones Square, London. Eliza was born in 1817 in London. She was the daughter of Jonathon Price and Anne ?. and was baptised at St Mary, Putney, London on 6 July 1817. Their marriage is a little creep, with William aged 30, and Eliza 16 at the time of the marriage.

We were unable to find a divorce record for William and Ann - and this is highly unlikely during Victorian England as it required and act of parliament so you had to be very wealthy. A indication as to what happened appears when you look at these events

• In 1833 Ann remarries using her maiden name and no notation of being a widow or divorcee

• 1841 census sees both his children with Ann Starkey using the surname Starkey in the census

• In 1844 his daughter Sarah gets her daughter Sarah Ann Starkey baptised, and on the record there is a notation regarding why she was using the name Starkey rather than Mansfield  "the father Mansfield proving a married man". The fathers occupation is also "joiner". 

Based on this, it would appear that William was already married when he married Ann - which would mean that the marriage would be automatically deemed null and void.

Bigamy is, essentially, the crime of going through a ceremony of marriage while already validly married to another person... the second and subsequent marriages are void in English law. ... A void marriage is regarded by the law as never having existed. It is void from the start without any formal annulment by the court. (Source: Professor Rebecca Probert. Divorced, Bigamist, bereaved? the family historians guide)

For that to have occurred it would need to have become common knowledge, which should have resulted in William being formally charged with bigamy, or it was noted by by the church. We have been unable to find any record of a bigamy charge, which is not suprising given that bigamy - whilst against the law - was often not prosecuted during this period. So it is more likely that the previous marriage simply became public knowledge. Bigamy was quite common in cases of abandonment where the offender simply moved away and started life anew. Given what we see from the records above, this could be case, however it does not explain how Williams marital status was identified.

It also raises the issue that if William being married was the cause of the dissolution of the first marriage, and Ann married before William in June, then unless William first apparent wife dies, it is highly likely that William commits bigamy for second time when he marries Eliza in December of the same year.

Irrespective 1833 and 1842 William and Eliza had four children:

• Mary Ann Mansfield Born 1835

• William Mansfield Born 1838

• Eliza Mansfield Born 1840 Died 1841

• Edward Parker Mansfield Born 1841

The 1841 census finds the family living at John St in Tottenham London with their 3 eldest children.

The family suffered a tragedy later in August 1841 when their daughter Eliza dies at the age of 10 months. She was buried on 3 August 1841 in the North Ground of the Whitefield’s Memorial Church at Camden - a non conformist church.

Eliza dies some time in March 1844 at the age of 27. She was buried on 22 March 1844 in the North Ground of the Whitefield’s Memorial Church at Camden. It is anticipated that this death was as a result of pregnancy. 5 months later, in August 1844 William passes away at the age of 42. He also buried in North Ground of the Whitefields Memorial Church on 17 August 1844

After his death, the 3 surviving children Mary Ann (9), William (6) and Edward (3) are taken in by Williams father in Leicestershire.

Related Documentation