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!

©2012 Sarah Tormey Blog. All Rights Reserved.

“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.”

Through my research and the very helpful info provided by my fellow Beau Monde members, I’ve learned that for either a man or woman to achieve a divorce in the Regency Era the person seeking the divorce (the husband in most cases) had to obtain an Act of Parliament by proving adultery or life-threatening cruelty. Not only was this a very public procedure, it was also expensive and generally only viable for the very wealthy.  

Thus, my first question when I discovered the Addison/Campbell Divorce was: how did Jane Campbell provide the necessary funds?  It is my understanding that few women during this time period possessed significant funds that were not entirely controlled by their husbands. Were the fees waived in this instance? 

Apart from the monetary issue, I find it very interesting that Jane Campbell not only received a divorce, but also won custody of her children. And according to the documents posted on the archives site, she won based on the testimony of her sister’s maid!

Perhaps there was more to the Addison/Campbell Divorce than my research has uncovered? Have you encountered elements of this case in recent romance novels? I would love to hear your thoughts.  And please let me know if you have any additional insights into The Addison/Campbell Divorce case!

©2012 Sarah Tormey Blog. All Rights Reserved.