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Ennever & Enever family history & ancestry. Click here to return to the home page WJ Ennever (1869-1947). From the portrait by J Seymour R.A., exhibited in the Royal Academy.

Interesting family marriages
(marriages to closely-related family members including to a spouse's sibling and a sibling's spouse and some other illegal marriages)

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Although it is often considered that marriage between cousins is illegal, this has never actually been the case in England where the list of forbidden marriages was first drawn up by the Church of England in 1560 and remained unchanged until the 20th century. I have reproduced the original list here:

A TABLE OF KINDRED AND AFFINITY
WHEREIN WHOSOEVER ARE RELATED ARE FORBIDDEN IN SCRIPTURE AND OUR LAWS TO MARRY TOGETHER

A Man may not marry his: A Woman may not marry her:
1 Grandmother 1 Grandfather
2 Grandfather's Wife 2 Grandmother's Husband
3 Wife's Grandmother 3 Husband's Grandfather
4 Father's Sister 4 Father's Brother
5 Mother's Sister 5 Mother's Brother
6 Father's Brother's Wife 6 Father's Sister's Husband
7 Mother's Brother's Wife 7 Mother's Sister's Husband
8 Wife's Father's Sister 8 Husband's Father's Brother
9 Wife's Mother's Sister 9 Husband's Mother's Brother
10 Mother 10 Father
11 Step-Mother 11 Step-Father
12 Wife's Mother 12 Husband's Father
13 Daughter 13 Son
14 Wife's Daughter 14 Husband's Son
15 Son's Wife 15 Daughter's Husband
16 Sister 16 Brother
17 Wife's Sister 17 Husband's Brother
18 Brother's Wife 18 Sister's Husband
19 Son's Daughter 19 Son's Son
20 Daughter's Daughter 20 Daughter's Son
21 Son's Son's Wife 21 Son's Daughter's Husband
22 Daughter's Son's Wife 22 Daughter's Daughter's Husband
23 Wife's Son's Daughter 23 Husband's Son's Son
24 Wife's Daughter's Daughter 24 Husband's Daughter's Son
25 Brother's Daughter 25 Brother's Son
26 Sister's Daughter 26 Sister's Son
27 Brother's Son's Wife 27 Brother's Daughter's Husband
28 Sister's Son's Wife 28 Sister's Daughter's Husband
29 Wife's Brother's Daughter 29 Husband's Brother's Son
30 Wife's Sister's Daughter 30 Husband's Sister's Son

Source: 1908 edition of The Book of Common Prayer (Church of England)  Back to top

A Royal Commission in 1847 investigated the specific question of marrying one's deceased wife's sister. The unanimous conclusion was that such marriages "take place when a concurrence of circumstances gives rise to mutual attachment, therefore would not become more frequent if permitted by law". Nevertheless, the above table remained unchanged.

Of the original 30 prohibitions, subsequent Acts of Parliament have reduced them to 25. The 1907 Marriage Act removed no. 17 from the list (Wife's sister and Husband's brother) provided the first spouse in each case was deceased.   The 1921 Marriage Act removed no. 18 (Brother's wife and Sister's husband) provided brother or sister in each case was deceased.  The 1931 Marriage Act removed 6, 7, 8 & 9 (Aunt-in-law and Uncle-in-law) and 27, 28, 29 & 30 (Niece-in-law and Nephew-in-law) provided the relevant uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew was deceased.  The 1949 Marriage Act confirmed the previous 3 acts and also specifically included 'half blood' relatives.

A TABLE OF KINDRED AND AFFINITY WHEREIN WHOSOEVER ARE RELATED ARE FORBIDDEN IN SCRIPTURE AND OUR LAWS TO MARRY TOGETHER

A Man may not marry his: A Woman may not marry her:
1 Mother 1 Father
2 Daughter 2 Son
3 Father's Mother 3 Father's Father
4 Mother's Mother 4 Mother's Father
5 Son's Daughter 5 Son's Son
6 Daughter's daughter 6 Daughter's son
7 Sister 7 Brother
8 Father's Daughter 8 Father's Son
9 Mother's Daughter 9 Mother's Son
10 Wife's Mother 10 Husband's father
11 Wife's Daughter 11 Husband's Son
12 Father's Wife 12 Mother's Husband
13 Son's Wife 13 Daughter's Husband
14 Father's Father's Wife 14 Father's Mother's Husband
15 Mother's Father's Wife 15 Mother's Mother's Husband
16 Wife's Father's Mother 16 Husband's Father's Father
17 Wife's Mother's Mother 17 Husband's Mother's father
18 Wife's Son's Daughter 18 Husband's Son's Son
19 Wife's Daughter's Daughter 19 Husband's Daughter's Son
20 Son's Son's Wife 20 Son's Daughter's Husband
21 Daughter's Son's Wife 20 Daughter's Daughter's Husband
22 Father's Sister 22 Father's Brother
23 Mother's Sister 23 Mother's Brother
24 Brother's Daughter 24 Brother's Son
25 Sister's Daughter 25 Sister's Son

Source: 1955 edition of The Book of Common Prayer (Church of England)  Back to top

It has not been unusual in Europe for marriages between cousins to take place, indeed several royal marriages can be found between cousins and these include Queen Victoria:

  • King William III and Queen Mary II were first cousins
  • King George I and Princess Sophia Dorothea of Celle were paternal first cousins
  • King George IV and Princess Caroline of Brunswick were first cousins
  • Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were first cousins

One perceived benefit of course was to retain inheritances within a lineage and although this would rarely have been a motivation outside the richest elements of society, it was still relatively common in Victorian England.

The age of consent for marriages has altered over the centuries and although many will have lied about their ages to enable them to be married the legal age of consent has been as follows:

Dates Males Females Notes
pre-1754 14 years 12 years
The Marriage Act 1753, full title "An Act for the Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage", popularly known as Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act, was the first statutory legislation in England and Wales to require a formal ceremony of marriage. It came into force on 25 March 1754 and was this that led to some couples evading the Act by travelling to Scotland. Various Scottish “Border Villages” became known as places to marry. In the 1770s the construction of a toll road passing through the hitherto obscure village of Graitney led to Gretna Green becoming synonymous with romantic elopements.  Source: Wikipedia
March 1754 21 years 21 years Parental consent enabled marriages at under 21 years of age
July 1823 14 years 12 years  
May 1929 16 years 16 years  

Examples of marriages to close relations exist in most families and I have found the following examples within the Ennever and related families.  I have indicated, in each case, my interpretation of their legality.  The illegal marriages are occasionally simply bigamous but are more often marriages to either a dead spouse's sibling or a dead sibling's spouse and the illegality of these marriages was often overlooked before 1907.  They were legalised in England in 1907 and 1921 respectively, but being the two sides of the same marriage such marriages were legal for the woman between 1907 and 1921 while, bizarrely, they would have been illegal for the man! 

Names Details Legal?
Edward Henry Allen and Elizabeth Mary Ennever married in 1862 in Shoreditch, then Middlesex and William Thomas Enever married Margaret Penfold in 1899 in the Croydon area. Edward and Elizabeth's granddaughter, Jessie Patricia Garlick, married John Cowley Knott, the grandson of Priscilla Penfold while Margaret Penfold's grandfather is Alfred Penfold, the younger brother of Margaret.  These two marriages therefore provide a link between two Ennever and Enever family trees. Back to top
 Yes
John & Richard Ansell and Elizabeth & Emma Roberts
Henry Richard Ansell, was born in 1866 in Limehouse, and married Eliza Amelia Ennever aka Eliza Amelia Hannaway in 1888.  Henry's father, John Ansell and John's brother, Richard Ansell, had both earlier married Roberts sisters.  John married Elizabeth Roberts in 1859 and in 1861 Richard married her sister, Emma Roberts.  When Richard married Emma it appears they were both living at 37 Northey Street with both giving George Street as apparently false addresses.  Back to top
 Yes
In this detailed history you will find the story of two connected bigamous marriages. Charles Green Appleton, having married Harriet Agnes Thomas in 1850 then married her younger sister, Sarah Jane, in 1852 in what was clearly a bigamous relationship. 

The discovery of this marriage meant that Sarah Jane Thomas's marriage to Henry Collins in 1857 was also bigamous because although Charles Green Appleton had emigrated to Australia in 1853, he was still very much alive. Back to top
 No



No
Frances Enever and Joseph James Ash & Alfred George Ash
Frances Enever married Joseph James Ash in Forest Gate, Essex in December 1896 and they had a son, Arthur E Ash, in about July 1900.  Frances then married again, using her maiden name, to Joseph's half brother, Alfred George Ash, in December 1904.  Bizarrely, this marriage took place on the anniversary of her first marriage, on the 21st December, to Joseph.  Just five days later Joseph James Ash then married Annie Blanche Bell, both marriages being bigamous with Joseph and Frances being recorded as bachelor and spinster respectively on their second marriages.  There were two children then born to Alfred George Ash & Frances, Albert William Ash and Alfred Gordon Ash.  See also 'Questions'.  Back to top
 No
(both second marriages were bigamous)
John Enever married Henrietta Ballenger (or Ballinger) in 1863 in Kensington and after his death Henrietta married William Mack.  John and Henrietta's daughter, Sarah Amelia Enever, married Arthur Charles Ballinger in 1888 probably in Whitchurch, Herefordshire. Both Henrietta and Arthur were born in Whitchurch so it is almost certain that they are related, although so far I have been unable to find the connection. Back to top
 Yes
Beer & Willis siblings
Effie Jean Willis and her sister, Gwyneth Ada Maybell Willis, were both great granddaughters of George Humphrey and Elizabeth Enever. They married two Beer brothers, Effie marrying Alfred Emmanuel Beer in 1954 and Gwyneth marrying Thomas Charles Beer three years later both marriages taking place in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
 Yes
Julia Braybrook & Baker brothers
Julia Braybrook married James Baker in 1875 in Cambridgeshire, James dying later that year.  Julia is then believed to have married John Baker, James's younger brother.  It was illegal at the time to marry your deceased spouses's sibling. Back to top
 No
Charles married Harriet Emma Lockyer in 1848 and they had a daughter, Marie born in 1884/5.  Harriet died in 1891 and Charles then married her younger sister, Elizabeth Lockyer, the following year, Elizabeth dying in 1902.  No children can be found from that marriage.  Charles then married Harriet and Elizabeth's cousin, Emma Sarah Lockyer, in 1902, again no children have been traced.

Harriet Emma Lockyer's cousin, Harriet Emma Curtis, first married Frederick Edwin Purnell and on his death married Frederick Ennever.  It is likely that both Frederick Purnell and his wife had worked with Frederick Ennever, as they were all working in the Iron Bedstead industry in the Islington area. Back to top
No
(Charles to Elizabeth Lockyer)
Charles Gordon McLeod Buchanan married his cousin Grace Jeanetta Eagar in 1915 at Scone, NSW, Australia.  Both were descended from George Ennever, the forger, cobbler and innkeeper who was transported to Australia. See also Mary Ennever Morris and William Buchanan below. Back to top
 Yes
Burley sisters and George Henry Willis and Clifford Patterson
Sarah Ann (Sadie) Burley married George Henry Willis in New Toronto in 1927 and her sister, Johanna Gwyneth Pearl Burley, later married Clifford Patterson, George & Sarah's nephew.
 Yes
Henrietta Gertrude Callendar (or Henrietta Gertrude Callender)
In perhaps one of the most unusual close family marriages I have seen, Henrietta Gertrude Callendar married George Henry Barcroft (also spelt Barrcroft) in 1919 in Brisbane, Queensland.  George was the third husband of Laura Jane Lowe who married him in 1907, Laura's first husband having been Hugh Frederick Callendar (or Callender) and Henrietta being their daughter.  Henrietta had married her mother's first husband, her step-father, a year after her mother's death in 1918. Back to top
 No (assuming Australian law was the same as in England)
Malcolm and Candida married in Australia in 1967 and were both second and third cousins both being descended from Edward James Eagar (known as Edward George Eagar) and Jane Drake and also Nicholas Henry Eagar and Louisa Ennever Morris. They are both 2nd & 3rd cousins because William Buchanan married both Louisa Ennever Morris's sister, Mary Ennever Morris and also her daughter, Kate Ellen Anne Eagar. See Mary Ennever Morris and William Buchanan below. Back to top
 Yes
Samuel Challis and Walter Challis
Samuel Challis and Walter Challis were half-brothers, both being sons of Nathaniel Challis.  Walter married Emma Louisa Sheers in 1904 while Samuel married Elizabeth Alice Weeks in 1923, Elizabeth being Emma's niece. Back to top
 Yes
Cokers & Ward siblings
In Orsett, Essex in 1882 Emma Coker, daughter of John Coker and Charlotte Enever, married Jonathan (John) Ward while sixteen years later Jonathan and Emma's daughter, Annie Ethel Ethel Ward, married a Henry Coker.  The relationship between Emma and Henry Coker is not yet known. Back to top
  
Ernest Albert Collins married Matilda Brandon in 1911 and William Clark first married Annie Elizabeth Collis and after her death in 1922 married Matilda's younger sister, Annie Brandon in 1929.  William Clark's daughter, Annie, by his first marriage then married Ernest Albert Collins' son, Ernest John Collins. Back to top
 Yes
George was the son of William Henry Clark and Eliza Elizabeth Morris, who married in London in 1873.  After Eliza's death in 1899, William married Mary Elizabeth Adams, who had previously been married to Edwin James Ennever, otherwise known as Edwin James Collins.  Edith was the daughter of Edwin and Mary. 

Edith was the daughter-in-law of William and George, her husband, was the son-in-law of Mary, William and Mary having married in 1900. Back to top
 Yes
Davey & Wiseman siblings
James Davey married Jane Elizabeth Wiseman in Limehouse, London in 1906 while his brother, Richard, married Jane's sister, Esther Wiseman, also in Limehouse in 1916. The Wiseman girls were the daughters of George Thomas Wiseman and Elizabeth Ennever. Back to top
 Yes
John married Betty Muriel Angus, who was the daughter of William Reginald Angus and Muriel Frances Thompson in 1935.  William Reginald Angus's second wife was Lucy Mary Baring Deck, John's younger sister.

Edward Humfrey Rayment Deck also married an Angus, Ruth Marion in 1943.  Edward was John's cousin and Betty Muriel Angus and Ruth Marion Angus were sisters. Back to top
Yes
Edward Eagar was sentenced to death but was reprieved and transported from Ireland to Sydney, NSW, Australia for uttering a forged Bill of Exchange.  Four years after his arrival he married Jemima McDuel and had four children with her.  He left his NSW family and returned to England in about 1821 and is believed to have married the sixteen-year-old Ellen Gorman Mooney, with whom he had ten children.  The marriage record has yet to be found.  The full story of Edward's prominent life in Australia can be found here. Back to top
No
(Edward's marriage to Ellen Gorman, if proven)
Richard and Frances (maiden name unknown) probably married in Ireland in the 1860s and are believed to be cousins. Back to top
 Yes
Cyrus and Phyllis married in Jamaica in about 1960 and were cousins.  Their respective fathers were the brothers, Harold Vincent Alexander and Vernon Cecil Alexander. Back to top
 Yes
Benjamin Roger Enever and Martha Mary Enever were married in 1890 in the Kingston district of Surrey and were cousins, both being descended from John Enever and Martha Ray. Back to top
 Yes
Grace Rose Enever & Diana Enever and the Halmshaws
Grace Rose Enever married Harry Halmshaw in the Watford area in 1926 while her niece, Diana Enever, married John Halmshaw in the Wokingham area in 1958.  Grace and Rose are both descended from Charles Robert Enever and Rose Elizabeth Hyde although the relationship between John and Harry is not yet known. Back to top
 Yes
Charlotte Enever married John Henry Williams in 1883 in Dalston near Hackney, Middlesex and they are known to have had at least seven children.  Charlotte's elder brother, John Peter Enever, had married Mary Elizabeth Reddall in 1877 and after her death married Mary Ann Williams, John Henry's sister in 1886.

John Peter Enever and his first wife are known to have had three children but it is not thought that there were children from his marriage to Mary Ann. Back to top
 Yes
Frederick Francis Enever aka Frank married Anne or Annie Godfrey in Holywell, Oxfordshire in 1868 and they had five children, one of whom died in infancy. Frederick is recorded as having had a number of occupations including brewer and accountant as well as a commercial traveller and cattle-prod maker and he and Annie lived in the East End of London area.

In 1894 Frederick married again, to Jane Taylor nee Buckner in the Register Office in Reading, Berkshire. Annie, his wife, was however still living and no divorce has been traced, Frederick declaring himself to be a bachelor on the occasion of his second marriage. Frederick appeared to have led a 'true' bigamist's life apparently living with both spouses simultaneously by virtue of his job as a travelling salesman.  He had a child with Jane in 1873, not marrying her until twenty-one years later, possibly after her first husband's death, while in 1891 and 1901, seven years after his second marriage, he can be found living with Annie and their chilldren.  Annie died in 1911 in West Ham, Essex two years after Frederick.

One of Annie's causes of death was cirrhosis of the liver so it is possible that Frederick's double life drove her to drink or that her drinking had driven him to Jane!  Frederick's grandson, Albert Sydney (Syd) Enever went on to become the designer of the MGA and MGB motor cars. Back to top
 No
(bigamous)
George Enever married Martha Inman in St Leonard Shoreditch, London (then a parish in Middlesex) in 1867, with Rebecca his older sister having married Martha's brother, Daniel Inman, in the same church a year earlier. Back to top
 Yes
James and Elizabeth were married in 1851 at the Parish Church, Limehouse and were cousins. Back to top
 Yes
William and Laura married at St Mary Magdalene, Peckham, London on 15th March 1898, William being the son of Jesse Porter & Fanny Enever and Laura being the daughter of Jonathan (John) Enever & Emma Crabb. Fanny & Jonathan were the two eldest children of John Enever & Rebecca Riley, making William & Laura first cousins. Back to top
 Yes
Margaret Enever & Louisa Enever and the Daines
Margaret Enever and Louisa both married Daines, Margaret marrying John Daines in 1868 and Louisa marrying Robert Daines in 1891.  Margaret and Louisa were sisters while John Daines was Robert's uncle. Back to top
 Yes
Raymond Enever and Hazel married in 1988 in Hertfordshire and are cousins, both being descended from William Joseph Enever and Emily Maud nee McDonald, who married in 1906. Back to top
 Yes
The story of some of the early Enever settlers in Australia is told in Mitta Mitta: from the early pioneers by S. Colquhoun (click here) and confirms that two Enever siblings married Coleman siblings.  Robert Archer Enever married Maria Emma Coleman in 1880 in NSW, before they settled in Victoria, and his younger sister, Mary Enever, married Edwin Coleman in 1882 in Victoria. Back to top
 Yes
Eliza Enever (nee Page) and her daughter, Ellen Sarah Enever
Eliza Page married Robert Prior Enever in 1864 in Bloomsbury, Middlesex and after Robert's death in 1882 Eliza married Jonathan Wells, having two further children with him. Ellen Sarah Enever, Eliza's eldest daughter from her marriage to Robert married Walter George Chapman on what appears to be the same day as her mother's re-marriage. Back to top
 Yes
Thomas and Alfred were brothers and married Power sisters.  Thomas Henry Enever married Ellen (Nell/Nellie) Power in 1911 and his younger brother, Alfred Enever, married Ellen's younger sister, Dora Maud Power, in 1919. This marriage took place nearly two years after Thomas was killed in France during World War 1. Back to top
 Yes
Sydney and Sarah Ann were cousins, both being grandchildren of John Enever and Harriet Harrington.  They married in 1894 in the West Ham district and are known to have a daughter, Nellie. Back to top
 Yes
William Enever married Sarah Enever in 1815 in London although their relationship has not yet been established. Back to top
 Not known
William Enever & Carter sisters
William Enever married three times, the first time to Sarah Carter in 1838 and on Sarah's death he married Esther Carter, almost certainly Sarah's younger sister. Esther died some time before 1881 and William married Susan Hunt in that year.  Although often overlooked, marriages to siblings of a previous spouse was illegal at this time even if the first spouse was deceased. Back to top
 No
(William's marriage to Esther)
Enever & Percifull siblings
Brother and sister, William & Mary Enever, married Percifull siblings.  Symmetrically William Enever married Mary Percifull in 1843 and Mary Enever married William Percifull nine years later.  Both marriages took place in the Coulsdon, Surrey district. Mary nee Enever died in 1865 and William Percifull then married Sarah Homewood in 1867.  There were children from both these marriages. Back to top
 Yes
Enever & Flewitt siblings
Two of James Ennever's daughter, who were both registered as Enever, married Flewitt brothers.  Mary Ellen Enever married James J Flewitt in Stepney, London in 1937 and six years later Marie Enever married Frederick Robert Flewitt, James's younger brother. Back to top
 Yes
Enever & Hardy siblings
Mary Ann Enever married James Allen Hardy in Islington in 1883 while Sarah Ann Enever, her younger sister, had married Harry Allen Hardy in Islington a year earlier. Back to top
 Yes
Enever & Oxley siblings
Two Enever siblings married two Oxley siblings.  William Enever, the son of William James Enever and Emma Webb, married Alice Ann Oxley in 1896 and his younger sister Jane Enever, married Charles George Oxley in 1903.  Both marriages took place in the West Ham district. Back to top
 Yes
Charlotte Ennever married Samuel Lacy (or Lacey) in Fulham in 1898 and can be found with her husband and young son, also Samuel, in Scarsdale Road, Camberwell, London in 1901.  No trace has been found of either Samuel after that date and Charlotte re-married in 1915 to Alfred John Farr.  Alfred was considerably younger than Charlotte and it is not surprising that she "lost" a few years of age on her marriage certificate.  What is unusual is that despite her earlier marriage to Samuel she is recorded as a spinster. Back to top
 Not known
Clara married John Brice in Manhattan, New York in 1881 and in 1884 Emily, her older sister married James Brice, also in Manhattan.  The relationship between the Brices has not yet been established but it seems likely that they were brothers. Back to top
 Yes
Elizabeth Ennever married a Henry Thomas Ashenden in 1885 while her sister, Caroline, also married a Henry Thomas Ashenden, the uncle of Elizabeth's husband.  Henry and Caroline also named their eldest child Henry Thomas. Back to top
 Yes
Ernest & William married two Griffiths sisters, Elizabeth Harriet Griffiths & Anne (Annie) Griffiths, respectively.  Ernest was the son of Thomas Henry Ennever, who married Eliza Everett in 1840, while William Buckle Todd was Eliza's grandson by her daughter, Louisa, born before Eliza's marriage.  Ernest was therefore William's uncle.  It is presumed that Louisa was not Thomas's child as she was born in about 1835 while Thomas & Eliza didn't marry until 1840 and Louisa is recorded as Everett on her marriage to Francis Henry Todd in 1855. Back to top
 Yes
Frederick Ennever married Sarah Wilder Viner in 1877 at the Parish Church of St Mary, Stratford Bow and they were to have a difficult time together (follow the links to their individual pages for further details). Both were to spend time in mental institutions and having had ten children, the last being born two years before Frederick's death in the Poplar workhouse, Sarah had lost four children in infancy, two to war and by the time of her death in 1934 had seen seven of them die.

Frederick and Sarah were first cousins once removed, both being descended from Francis Viner and Sarah Wilder, after whom Sarah was named, and who married in 1827. Back to top
 Yes
George Alfred Ennever, otherwise known as George Alfred Collins, was born out of the illicit relationship between Henry Collins and his wife's niece Mary Stothart Ennever (click here for details of this story).  George's birth was registered as Ennever, with no father's name recorded, but at the time of his marriage was using his natural father's name of Collins.  He married Caroline Old in 1899 in Bethnal Green and after her death in 1903 he married Susannah Parducci, also in Bethnal Green, in 1908.  Caroline Old was the daughter of John Old and Maria Elizabeth Illingworth and Susannah Parducci was the daughter of Mary Ann Illingworth, Maria's sister.  Two grandchildren of James John Illingworth and Harriet Doyle had therefore both married George. Back to top
 Yes
Henry married Rebecca Peare in 1850 and after her death in 1898 he married Priscilla Ann Williams (nee Collins and formerly Jones and Williams).  One of Priscilla's younger sisters, Emma, had married Henry's brother, Robert Ponder Ennever, in 1877.  The two Ennever brothers had therefore, eventually, married two of the Collins' sisters. Back to top
 Yes
Henry and Mary were first cousins and married in 1864 in New York, both Henry's and Mary's parents having emigrated to the USA.  Marriages between cousins is illegal in a number of US states but as far as I know is legal in New York. Back to top
Yes
(as far as I understand New York State law)
Henry Wade and Edith Jane were brother and sister and married sister and brother, Florence Alice Huff and Henry Thomas Huff, respectively.  See also Lily Florence & Mary Nora, two of Henry Wade Ennever's daughters (below) who also married siblings. Back to top
 Yes
James and William were brothers, although had been registered with different surname spellings, their father being George Ennever.  James married Hannah Whitbread in 1866 in the Romford district, probably Upminster, while William married Hannah's younger sister, Alice, ten years later.

Also interesting is that a Thomas Tadloo, aged 18, was visiting the Whitbread family at the time of the 1851 census and the Ennever/Enever family are living in Tadloo's Yard in 1861. Back to top
Yes
Jane was born in 1858 to Charles Ennever and Elizabeth Jane Seyler.  Charles had previously had 3 children with Amelia Frances Herring although no marriage has been found to either of these spouses.  Charles, after Elizabeth Seyler's death, married twice, firstly to Elizabeth Tadman and later to Mary Ann Parker.

Jane Ennever was living with her father in 1861 although we lose track of her in 1871.  She married James Edward Common in 1884 and was living with him in 1881 as his wife and their 2 young children.  James died later in 1884 and the year after his death Jane married his eldest brother, Simon Robert Common, and they went on to have 9 children together. Back to top
No
(Jane's marriage to Simon Common)
Joseph and Herman were brothers and married two Beaumont sisters, Leonora Elizabeth Beaumont and Eunice Beaumont in Jamaica in about 1878 and 1888 in Jamaica. Back to top
 Yes
Julia's father, Maurice Alexander Joseph Ennevor, first married Margaret Pollack in about 1929 and Julia was one of four children from the marriage. He later married Catherine Walter (maiden name unknown), whose son from her first marriage, Paul, married Julia sometime in the 1950s. Back to top
 Yes
Lily and Mary were sisters and married two Anthony brothers.  Lily Florence Ennever married Harry Anthony in 1921 in Manchester, Lancashire and Mary Nora Ennever married Harry's brother, Frank Anthony, in 1934, also in Manchester.  See also Henry Wade Ennever (above), father of Lily & Mary, who with his sister also married siblings. Back to top
 Yes
Nellie Frances Ennever was born in 1878 in the Poplar area and in 1902 she married Leonard Percy Martin. Leonard was killed in France in the First World War and just over a year later she married one of his elder brothers, Hubert William Martin. Back to top
 No
Robert Ennever was born in 1818 and married Mary Stothart Thomas in 1839 and there were 2 children of the marriage, one being Mary Stothart Ennever.  Mary Thomas died in June 1843 and six months later, in December, Robert married Mary's younger sister, Harriet Agnes Thomas.  There were also 2 children of this marriage. 

Additionally, Robert George Ennever, the eldest son of Robert Ennever and Harriet Agnes Thomas married Maria Eliza Collins, Henry Collins' sister, in Australia, Henry Collins being the husband of Mary Stothart Ennever's aunt.  The other close relationships that existed between these two families can be found in the history of Mary Stothart Ennever here.  Back to top
No
(Robert's marriage to Harriet Agnes Thomas)
William Ennever married Jane Gray in 1816, Jane dying in 1832, having had three children.  William then married Mary Wade, having one child, Elizabeth Mary Ennever in 1835.  Following Mary's death in 1838 he married Elizabeth Wade, daughter of David Wade, who was born in Harringworth, Northamptonshire.  It is assumed, although not proven, that Mary Wade was Elizabeth's eldest sister. Back to top
 No
(assuming that Mary & Elizabeth were sisters)
Watson Failes married Elizabeth Caroline Failes in 1880 in Norfolk and were first cousins.  Watson was the son of James Failes & Elizabeth Failes although their relationship is not yet known and Elizabeth Caroline was the daughter of Christopher Failes & Caroline Coe.  Watson & Elizabeth Caroline's children therefore had Failes as both parents and 3 out of 4 of their grandparents.

A number of other marriages took place between the Overton families and their relations (see Failes, Miller, Nicholls, Overton & Pollyn elsewhere on this page and also this family history of marriages in a close-knit rural community). Back to top
 Yes
Featherston & Anlezark siblings
Dorothy Gladys Anlezark married Harold Thomas Featherston in 1918 in Thornleigh, NSW and his brother, John Charles (Jack) Featherston married Ethel Mary Hewitt in Parramatta, NSW in 1917. Harold and John were brothers while Dorothy and Ethel were cousins, both descended from John Ennever and Elizabeth Julia Baldwin Ducker. Back to top
 Yes
Glading sisters
Ethel May Violet Glading married Walter John Enever in the Poplar district of London in 1926 while her youngest sister, Doris Irene Glading, married John William Groom in Essex in 1938.  John William Groom was the son of John Sydney Groom and Susanna Enever, Susanna being Walter's elder sister.  The two Glading siblings had married uncle and nephew.

There is a long history of links between the Enever and Glading families with several Enever Gladings being registered in the 18th and 19th centuries. Back to top
Yes
Hutchison & Waring siblings
Nellie Eileen Hutchison and Phyllis Edna Hutchison, sisters and descendants of the convict George Ennever Morris who started a successful new life in Australia married Waring brothers, Reginald William Waring and Eric Page Waring in 1921 and 1920 respectively. Back to top
 Yes
George Edward Harvey & Florence Canfield
George Edward Harvey and Florence Canfield married in 1887 in the Parish Church, St Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey and were first cousins. Back to top
 Yes
Elizabeth Harriet Griffiths & Anne Griffiths
See Ernest Ennever & William Buckle Todd above. Back to top Yes
James and Mary married in 1902 in the Epping area of Essex in 1902 and were first cousins both being the grandchildren of James Grout, born in Loughton in about 1795. Back to top
 Yes
Henry Martyn Helmore married Elizabeth Pickard in 1889 in West Ham, Essex after the birth of their first child, Gerald H Helmore.  In the 1901 census he is recorded as married to a Mary Ann and a marriage is recorded with Mary Ann Pickard, Elizabeth's older sister, in 1893.  These marriages have yet to be proved but apart from the census and index data, Mary can be found staying with Henry and Elizabeth in 1891 and Henry's mother-in-law, Ann Pickard, nee Weston, is living with the family in 1901.  No trace of Elizabeth's death or re-marriage has yet been found, however. Back to top
 No
Robert Henry Helmore married Elizabeth Gullock Sully in 1863 and Elizabeth's younger sister, Adelia Jane Sully, had married James Charles Western in 1860.  On James's death, probably in 1869, Adelia Jane married Robert's younger brother, Thomas Edmond Helmore. Back to top
No (Adelia's marriage to Thomas)
Alexander Hutchison, Martha Bryce & Maria Jane Holmes
Alexander Hutchison married Martha Bryce in 1857 in Scotland, emigrating with her and his family to Australia in 1876 and about 6 months after his arrival married Maria Jane Holmes in what was reported locally as a bigamous marriage.  Maria had also emigrated to Australia at about the same time as Alexander and his family.  Alexander was a well-known businessman and public figure and apparently managed to keep his double life a secret from his family.

No
John and Mary married in the Hackney district in November 1862 and are believed to be first cousins although this has not been proved. Back to top
 Yes
Two Lensh brothers married two of the Mullen daughters, Edwin marrying Frances Maria in 1888 with William having married Kathleen in 1883.  Most of the earlier Lensh children were registered as Lynch, while all of the later children were registered as Lensh.  This was probably reflecting the Irish pronunciation of Lynch, or was possibly to disguise their Irish background or possibly to disguise Daniel Lynch's financial difficulties even though his bankruptcy did not take place until 1868, some years after the first "Lensh" registration. Back to top
 Yes
Thomas (Tom) Lloyd married Margaret (Maggie) Kelly in December 1880 in Victoria, Australia. Maggie was the younger sister of Edward (Ned) Kelly who was an Irish-Australian bushranger, considered by some as merely a cold-blooded killer, while by others as a folk hero and symbol of Irish-Australian resistance against oppression by the British ruling class, for his defiance of the colonial authorities, The marriage took place just a month after Ned was executed and Thomas and Margaret were cousins. Back to top
 Yes
Seneca Larke and Sarah E Kirby married in New York in about 1861 and Hezekiah Nunns Ennever married Seneca and Sarah's daughter, Sarah Jane Larke, in 1890 probably also in New York. Nothing unusual so far except that Seneca,, although born to English parents was later mistaken for a native American Indian because of his name, was christened on the same day and in the same church as Hezekiah's older sister, Sarah.

There is some doubt because although Sarah's parents were Joseph and Sarah and her birth date fits neatly between other siblings and there don't appear to be any other Joseph and Sarah En(n)evers around at the time, the address and occupation given for Joseph don't appear to be correct.

It is either a remarkable coincidence that the families of two children christened together were later to inter-marry or this is, indeed, the correct Joseph and Sarah and the two families kept in touch after meeting at the christening or were already known to each other. Back to top
 Yes
Alfred William Long was born in 1881/2 in Bale, Norfolk.  He was the son of Thomas Tadman and Dorcas Elvina Long who were to marry after Thomas's wife, Phoebe Southgate, died in 1889 having had 3 children together.

Alfred married Anna Long in 1901 and the marriage certificate names Walter Long, a blacksmith, as Alfred's father.  The father’s name appears to be fictitious as there is no obvious trace of a Walter Long, a Blacksmith, although further enquiries seem to identify Walter as Anna's younger step-brother.  Her grandfather, Robert Long, was a Blacksmith as was a great uncle and his son, thus completing the connection.  Alfred was working in Cable Street, Shadwell, London with his father at the time of his marriage and it is unclear why he did not name him when marrying Anna.

Although Anna Long's father is not named, I am now certain that Alfred William Long (also known as Alfred William Tadman) married his 2nd cousin, the illegitimate daughter of Anna Long, one of Robert Long's daughters.  Anna was the first cousin, once removed, of Dorcas Elvina Long, Alfred's father's wife.

See also our "Questions" page about Robert Long and also Thomas Tadman below. Back to top
 Yes
Frank Thomas and Wilhelmina (Minnie) Vera Lubnow were the children of Frank Lubnow and Elizabeth Wade Ennever.  Elizabeth had married Wilhelm Einhorn in March 1901 but must have fallen pregnant in a relationship with Frank Lubnow about three months into the marriage, Frank Lubnow having been born in March 1902.  No marriage has been found of Elizabeth to Frank.

The two children of the relationship with Frank Lubnow seem to have married a brother and sister, although this has not been proven.  Frank married Beatrice Fergusson in 1927 and Wilhelmina (Minnie) Vera married an Albert Fergusson in 1934.  A brother & sister, Beatrice and Albert, can be found in Kensington in the 1901 census. Back to top
 Yes
Frank and Emma were grandchildren of Samuel Clarke and Emma Ennever and married Hammant siblings.  Frank married Rosina Sarah Hammant in 1903 in London while Emma had married Rosina's elder brother, Thomas George Hammant, in 1901. Back to top
 Yes
The two Midlane brothers married two Springall sisters, Elizabeth and Emma Springall while Ellen (Nell) Midlane, another sister, married George Enever. Back to top
 Yes
Harriet's mother, Mary Ann Enever, died before about 1907 and her husband, Reuben Young, re-married in 1907 to a widow, Elizaneth Middleton (maiden name unknown at the moment).  She had had a son by her first marriage, George, and he married Reuben & Mary's daughter, Harriet.  George and Harriet married in 1919 in Tottenham (North London). Back to top
 Yes
John married Catherine Overton in 1856 and following her death in 1894 he married her cousin, Maria Overton, in 1896. Back to top
 Yes
John Walton Morris married Anastasia Bridget Brennan in 1879 and having 8 children together before Anastasia died in 1895 almost certainly as a result of giving birth to their eighth child. According to a family story, Emily's first husband, Alexander Mills, worked on John Morris's farm and he too died in about 1895. John Walton Morris then married Emily Jane Mills nee Frankland while his son, Roland Charles Morris, from his first marriage became involved with Frances Caroline Emily (Fanny), Emily's daughter from her first marriage, who fell pregnant and was shipped off to New Zealand for the birth of her twins, only one of whom survived.  Roland Charles Morris appears to then have married in some haste, marrying Emma Draper in the same year that his children with Frances Mills were born. Back to top
  
Mary Ennever Morris, daughter of the forger George Ennever, married William Buchanan in Australia in 1858.  After her death William married his wife's niece, Kate Ellen Anne Eagar following an affair that led to William's divorce from Mary Ennever Morris and the birth of an illegitimate child or children to William and Kate. Back to top
 Yes
Henry Nichols (known as Harry Nichols) married his cousin, Beris Esther Nichols, in 1938. Back to top
 Yes
Edwin Joseph Arthur Nicholls and Laura Hibbitt married in 1898 in the Parish Church of St Luke in Chelsea. Edwin and Laura were cousins. Back to top
 Yes
William Thomas Orchard married Mary Florence Klinker in West Ham, Essex in 1915 and when she died he married her cousin, Lily Rose Tadman, in 1958. Back to top
 Yes
Adam married his first cousin, Ada Ellen Pollyn in 1895. Adam was the son of Christopher Overton and Ada was the daughter of Elizabeth Sarah Overton, Christopher's younger sister. Christopher and Elizabeth and the other eight children of Benjamin Turner Overton were all born in Tilney All Saints, Norfolk. See also Overtons below and John Shepherd Miller above. Back to top
 Yes
Two of the sons of William Overton and Sophia Turner both married daughters of Watson Failes and Catherine Fisher.  Benjamin married Ann Failes in 1832 and his elder brother, William, having married Ann's eldest sister, Sarah Failes, in 1826. Both marriages took place in Tilney All Saints, Norfolk. See also John Shepherd Miller above. Back to top
 Yes
Elizabeth Sarah Overton, whose daughter, Ada Ellen Pollyn, married her cousin (see above), and her eldest sister, Ann Abigail Overton, both married Pollyn boys.  Elizabeth Sarah married Benjamin Johnson Pollyn in 1864 while Ann Abigail having had an illegitimate son in 1857/8 married his brother, Robert Remington Pollyn, in 1865. Ann died ten years later and Robert then married Sarah Elizabeth Desborough.  It is not currently known if Robert & Ann had any children, or if they have survived. See also John Shepherd Miller above. Back to top
 Yes
Elizabeth married Arthur William Ennever (known as Arthur William Collins) in 1898, Arthur dying in 1909.  She then married Arthur's older brother, Robert Edgar Ennever (known as Robert Edgar Collins) in 1918.

After 1907 it was legal for a woman to marry her deceased husband's brother but not until 1921 was it legal for a man to marry his brother's wife (see forbidden marriages & notes above).  As this marriage took place in 1918 it was legal for Elizabeth Paul but bizarrely it was illegal for Robert Edgar Collins/Ennever! Back to top
 Yes & No!
(See across)
Perona and Furlong siblings
In 1891 Daniel Perona, who was born in Marentino, Italy, married Sarah Elizabeth Furlong in the Parish Church, St Matthew, Brixton, while eight years later Guiseppe Perona, his brother, married Sarah's sister, Charlotte Furlong, in the Parish Church, St Matthew, Brixton, Surrey.  The Furlong sisters were the granddaughters of John Furlong and Mary Enever, who had married in 1834. Back to top
  
Thomas King Clothier and his sister Ruth married Jane and Frank Pook respectively, also siblings.  Coincidentally, we lose track of both Thomas and Frank after their marriages which both took place in 1876.  See the "Questions" page to see if you can help us trace them. Back to top
 Yes
Powell & Tidd siblings
George Marin Powell, the grandson of Eliza Powell nee Ennever, married Nellie May Tidd in the USA (possibly in California) and his brother, Arthur Godfrey Powell, married Edna Gertrude Tidd, Nellie's younger sister. Back to top
 Yes
Flora was living with her uncle & his family in 1901, the familyincluding her cousin Herbert Reddall, and was a servant. She married her cousin Herbert in 1910 but he was killed in WW1 and is buried at Tincourt New British Cemetery, Somme, France. Back to top
 Yes
George Renecle married two Brooman girls.  He married Jane Brooman in the Medway district of Kent in 1871, having at least 6 children with her before Jane's death in 1885.  In 1887 he then married Eliza Brooman, Eliza dying soon afterwards in 1887.  George then married Alice Annie Rogers in 1888 in the Lewisham district having two children with Alice.  It is not currently known if the two Brooman girls were related but it would seem very likely. George's daughter, Alice Annie Renecle, with Alice married Oscar William (Willie) Ennever in 1913. Back to top
Not known
George Henry Spratt married his cousin, Elizabeth Ann Pollyn in 1898 in the King's Lynn District.  They were both grandchildren of Benjamin Turner Overton and Ann Failes. A number of other marriages took place between the Overton families and their relations (see Failes, Miller, Nicholls, Overton & Pollyn elsewhere on this page and also this family history of marriages in a close-knit rural community). Back to top
 Yes
Fanny Strange was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire in about 1854 and in 1871 she married John Fennessy with whom she had at least one child, Katherine Annie M Fennessy.  In 1886 Fanny married John's younger brother, Joseph Fennessy, and had a son, John J Fennessy.  Although John's death, presumably prior to 1886, has not been found Fanny's marriage to Joseph would have been illegal as he was her previous spouse's sibling and these marriages were not legalised until more than twenty years later.  They were, however, often over-looked by families and the church alike. Back to top
 No
Ernest married Olive in September 1917 at St Peter's Church in Ealing, Middlesex and they were first cousins, both being grandchildren of James Such and Mary Ann Ennever, who had married in 1853. Back to top
 Yes
Phoebe Such and David Such were siblings, children of William Such, born c1798 in Nevendon Essex, and his second wife, Mary Ann Horsnell, born c1807 in Wickford, Essex.

Phoebe married Thomas John Bedlow of Rawreth, Essex in 1864 and David Such married Henrietta Livermore (nee Bedlow). William Livermore, who was Henrietta's first husband appears to have died in 1869.  The two Such siblings had therefore married the two Bedlow siblings.

David Such is thought to have died in 1873 but no trace can be found of Henrietta after 1871 although it is possible she re-married in 1876. No children have been found to David & Henrietta. Back to top
 Yes
Thomas married Phoebe Southgate in 1862 and after her death in 1889 he married Dorcas Elvina Long in 1892.  Phoebe was the daughter of William Southgate and Dorcas was the illegitimate daughter of Ellen Long, her brother William's wife.  Thomas had therefore married the step-daughter of his first wife's brother.

See also Alfred William Long above. Back to top
Yes
Percy Thompson & Aldridge siblings
Percy Thompson married Rose Ethel Aldridge in 1913 in the West Ham district, then in Essex.  Rose died in 1917 and a year later Percy married Rose's younger sister, Dorothy Maud Aldridge, in the Rochford district of Essex.

After 1907 it was legal for a woman to marry her deceased husband's brother but not until 1921 was it legal for a man to marry his brother's wife (see forbidden marriages & notes above).  As this marriage took place in 1918 it was legal for Dorothy Maud Aldridge but bizarrely it was illegal for Percy Thompson! Back to top
Yes & No!
(See across)
Hannah Tilson (Beacroft) and William Smith
Hannah Tilson married Isaiah Beecroft in 1831 in Ilkeston, Derbyshire and two children were born to Hannah in 1839 and 1840 although no father's name was recorded for either child.  Hannah and her children can be found in Ilkeston in 1841 living with her brother and his family but Isaiah is not present nor has he been found elsewhere yet.

The marriage of a William Smith and Hannah Bacroft (sic) took place on the 4th Sept 1842 in Radford, Notts. William was described as a widower and Hannah as a widow. Hannah's father, John, being recorded as John Kilson.  The marriage took place a few miles from Ilkeston where William and Hannah were probably known and this together with Hannah's surname being changed to Bacroft(1) and her father to Kilson(2) appears to be to hide the fact that Hannah was still married to Isaiah Beecroft. Although it cannot be proved that this is a bigamous marriage by Hannah the date also fits with the Derby Assizes report (see Hannah's 'Criminal' entry).

(1) There are virtually no known examples of the name Bacroft with the exception of 2 births in Essex in 1861 and 1870 and several marriages in the 1840s, none apart from William and Hannah being in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire.
(2) Kilson is known as a surname but with only about 17 births and 11 marriages in the 19th century, none in the counties of Notts or Derby.
No
(bigamous)
George and William were brothers and married Tanner sisters.  George married Louisa Caroline Tanner in Islington in 1862 and William later married Cornelia Tanner in 1874 in Hoxton, London. Back to top
 Yes
Samuel Wilks married Emma Enever in 1880 in the Croydon district of Surrey having previously married Kitty Wilks in 1855 with whom he had at least five children.  The relationship between Samuel and Kitty is not known but as they were both born in Loughton, Essex in about 1832/3 it is probable that they were cousins. Back to top
 Yes (if cousins)
Williams & Morrish siblings Francis George Williams married Matilda Rosa Morrish in 1908 in London while Francis's sister, Eleanor Grace Williams, married Matilda's younger brother, Thomas J Morrish, later in life in 1956. Yes
Alice Willock was born in Mile End, London in 1889 and in 1912 married Arthur Herbert Ennever.  Arthur died in 1924 at the young age of 36 and in 1933 Alice married Frederick James, Arthur's older brother, who had lost his wife, Rose Louisa (nee) Mason, the year before. Back to top
Yes
(legal after 1907/1921)

If you have any information about other interesting marriages and/or their legality I would be delighted to hear from you.

Author:  Barry Ennever

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