FYI - The doctrine was applied in England & Wales per Legitimacy Act 1926. More recently under the Legitimacy Act 1967 a child born of a void marriage is regarded as legitimate if at the time of conception or subsequent "marriage" either parent believed the marriage to be valid, and a non-marital child is automatically legitimised if his parents marry at some time after his birth. Janet ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Hardy" <[email protected]> Unlike England & Wales, an illegitimate child was legitimised by the subsequent marriage of their parents if they had been free to marry at the time of conception. This was important in some inheritance disputes, especially where the child could claim to have dual nationality.