Marriage and Madness

31. Oktober 2024

As part of the Frankfurter Rechtshistorische Abendgespräche series, Saskia Lettmaier’s lecture, „Marriage and Madness: The Origins of the Marriage of Lunatics Act (1742)“, explores the historical context and legal significance of the 1742 Act—a pivotal yet understudied British statute. Integrating legal and social history, the project examines why this law, which voided marriages involving individuals deemed "lunatics," was enacted as a general statute, predating the well-known Hardwicke Marriage Act. The research addresses legislative intervention in marriage, societal attitudes toward mental incapacity in 18th-century England, and the socio-political forces that influenced the Act’s passage. This interdisciplinary approach fills a gap in legal history, analyzing social and political motivations behind early marriage laws affecting those with mental incapacity.

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