I have come across in a newspaper of 1881 a notice "Thomas Foster, farmer of Tholthorpe, will not be responsible for the debts of his wife, Dorothy, however caused, after this date". The family subsequently broke up. Was this regarded as a quasi legal document and was the publication of such a notice usually regarded as a de facto divorce ? Was the notice posted because the wife had usually run up debts or because she had left with another man? Or was the notice put in the papers to announce that husband and wife had split up ? Margaret

Margaret I don't think there was anything unusual in that kind of notice. Such notices even appeared in the 20th century more in the form of a personal advert but how effective they were I have no idea. It will all depend on people reading the advert and then who reads the paper. Victor On 26/01/2015 9:10 AM, Margaret Harrison via wrote: > I have come across in a newspaper of 1881 a notice "Thomas Foster, farmer > of Tholthorpe, will not be responsible for the debts of his wife, Dorothy, > however caused, after this date". > > The family subsequently broke up. > Was this regarded as a quasi legal document and was the publication of such > a notice usually regarded as a de facto divorce ? > > Was the notice posted because the wife had usually run up debts or because > she had left with another man? Or was the notice put in the papers to > announce that husband and wife had split up ? > > Margaret > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message