Perhaps there was more to the Addison/Campbell Divorce than my research has uncovered?
Indeed, there was. With the assistance of the knowledgeable Nancy Mayer, Regency Researcher, I have unearthed answers to some of my questions about the Addison/Campbell divorce case. In fact, I’ve learned quite a bit about divorce in Regency England thanks to Nancy Mayer’s class on Basic Legalities offered through The Beau Monde.
As you may recall from my previous post on this topic: “The Addison/Campbell Divorce case in 1801 was the first case to be brought to Parliament by a woman. Jane Campbell divorced her husband Edward Addison on the grounds of adultery with her sister Jessy Campbell.”
One of my questions pertained to why Jane Campbell won custody of her children. In light of what I’ve learned from Nancy, it seems likely that this notable turn of events occurred because her husband was forced to flee the country. One reason he might have fled? To avoid paying damages to the Jane Campbell’s brother-in-law, who would have been considered the injured party. Jane’s husband, Edward Addison, would have owed her brother-in-law monetary damages for having an affair with the man’s wife.
Jane’s husband would have also been considered morally depraved and thus, an unfit father. Only in the instance of incestuous adultery was a man considered depraved, not in the instance of plain adultery. As I have learned from Nancy Mayer’s class (one of the many informative classes offered by The Beau Monde), fathers generally received custody unless the man in question refused to allow his children to attend church, become baptized, or was otherwise depraved in the eyes of the church.
Once again, I welcome your thoughts on this fascinating case!
Can you imagine the emotional strains on the parts of everyone involved? Wow. No wonder you’re researching it.