A Report of the Case of Horner Against Liddiard: Upon the Question of What Consent Is Necessary to the Marriage of Illegitimate Minors; Determined, on the 24Th May 1799, . by Alexander Croke

A Report Of The Case Of Horner Against Liddiard: Upon The Question Of What Consent Is Necessary To The Marriage Of Illegitimate Minors; Determined, On The 24Th May 1799,. By Alexander Croke This volume presents the Horner V. Liddiard case decided in the Consistory Court of London, concerning the consent required for the marriage of an illegitimate minor. It includes an introductory essay by Sir Alexander Croke, LL.D., advocating careful, historically informed analysis of marriage laws, with a comparative survey of ancient and medieval legal systems—from Jewish and Greco-Roman to canonical and civil law—on the status of illegitimate children, concubinage, legitimation, and the incentives governments devised to regulate marriage. The text surveys the theory and practice of marriage law across epochs and nations, culminating in the core case facts: Harriet Liddiard (also Whitelock) was illegitimate and married by licence to Thomas Strangeways Horner in 1796, with consent of her mother only; the question of parental and guardian consent under the Marriage Act 26 Geo. II C. 33 was contested. The author and court interpret the statute to require additional consent in such cases, and the decision ultimately held the marriage void for lack of proper consent. The work thus blends doctrinal history with a concrete appellate decision, illustrating how legal theory informs practice.