1939 Divorce

WelchRegLost

WelchRegLost

Well-Known Member
Rhoda M(ary) Hancock 1895 -1978 marries Harold R(andle) Ashley 1896-1978 in Whitchurch Shropshire in 1919 over the next 20 years they supposedly had 9 children the last being Charles B Ashley born 13 Jan 1939 died Sept 1997. By Sept that year and the 1939 register the family had split, with each parent being listed with (I am assuming as most of the records are still locked.) 4 children each. The marital status of both parents is listed as “D”. Living with Rhoda is a Charles L Blencowe 1869. The death index for Charles gives his full name as Charles Blencowe Ashley!!! 1955 Rhoda marries a Charles L Blencowe whom I am pretty sure is the son of the Charles L Blencowe b 1869.


Is there likely to be any official documentation for this divorce or is it by mutual (dis)agreement?
 
The National Archives Research Guide has the following information:

4. Divorce case files, 1858-1972
Each divorce suit created a case file. The National Archives holds case files for all divorces from the Supreme Court 1858-1937 – very few case files survive after 1937.

4.1 What proportion of case files survive?
The survival rate of divorce case files is:

  • 1858-1927: almost 100%
  • 1928-1937: 80%
  • After 1937: less than 0.2%
No case files survive from the district registries set up in 1927.

I checked to see if there was anything listed with them, but to no avail. :( There might be something in the local newspaper - worth checking.
 
Five sons of Charles Leonard Blencowe of Whitchurch Shropshire have bio’s on
‘the great war.whitchurch-shropshire’.
Harry, Albert, Frank, George, and William.
 
Harold Ashley marries Gladys Chesters in Whitchurch in 1932 so some of those children must belong to Charles and Rhoda.
 
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Archie's Mum said:
Harold Ashley marries Gladys Chesters in Whitchurch in 1932 so some of those children must belong to Charles and Rhoda.
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As Rhoda was 60 when she married Charles I would say all of those children belong to previous marriages or possibly born to Rhoda and Charles out of wedlock some years earlier
 
If you check births in Whitchurch, Ashley mmn Hancock, those starting from 1929, I think are the children of Charles Blencowe. Henry Ashley’s children start in 1919. There is 4 of them, I figure to be the 4 that stayed with their father. Then there is another 5, with Charles Blencowe but they weren’t married so were registered Ashley. Charles Blencowe already had others by a previous marriage (Margaret) starting with Harry in 1899.
 
Nicola said:
Rhoda was my grandmother, I'm going through some old paperwork and came across this site purely by accident. The family history is certainly interesting to say the least. I'm hoping to uncover more information myself. Nicola
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Welcome... and good luck! :)
 
According to a notice in the Wellington Journal dated 20 November 1937 a decree nisis was granted to Harold Randall ASHLEY of 12 Brownlow Street, Whitchurch against Rhoda Mary ASHLEY, Harold being the plaintiff. No other details though.

Janet
 
janetbooth said:
According to a notice in the Wellington Journal dated 20 November 1937 a decree nisis was granted to Harold Randall ASHLEY of 12 Brownlow Street, Whitchurch against Rhoda Mary ASHLEY, Harold being the plaintiff. No other details though.

Janet
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There's another similar notice in the Shrewsbury Chronicle of the 19th November 1937 :)
Harold Randell Ashley, of 12, Brownlow Street, Whitchurch, was granted a decree nisi on the grounds of the misconduct of his wife, Rhoda Mary Ashley, with a co-respondent named Blencoe.
 
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