Sarah
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Somerset County Herald and Taunton Courier. Saturday 20 Dec 1947
Page 6 Column 5
Surprise After A Marriage
Chipstable Wife's Divorce Evidence
Found Her Husband Was Certified
A Somerset woman was granted a decree of nullity at Bristol on Wednesday on the grounds that her husband had been a certified lunatic at the time of the marriage.
The suit was heard by Judge WETHERED, sitting as a Special Commissioner of the Divorce Court, and after hearing the evidence he said it was clear that the respondent had been a certified lunatic some time before and at the time of the marriage ceremony. He had been meeting tthe <sic> petitioner on his “days out” on Saturdays.
The plea of the petitioner – Selina Elizabeth Sarah BINDING (otherwise HITCHCOTT), of Milton's Cottage, Chipstable, Wiveliscombe, was that on July 6th, 1946, she went through a form of marriage at the Register Office, Taunton, with Charles Sidney BINDING, whom she had met regularly in Taunton every Saturday for 18 months. She never met his family, but thought he was working at Cotford, and lodging with his father. Immediately after the ceremony she went with her husband to collect his belongings, and was told he was certified – the first she knew of it.
CERTIFIED IN 1943.
She had never lived with the respondent, who had been certified as a lunatic since December, 1943, and who had been certified as mentally deficient some years before that.
Evidence was given by the Medical Superintendent of Tone Vale Hospital that the respondent was under his care in July 1946, and that he had a day out every week, usually on Saturdays. There was little hope of his recovery.
Discussing the legal aspect of the petition, Mr. Roger ORMROD said it was a “very unusual case,” and he had never before come across one like it.
Mr. G. A. FORREST appeared for the petitioner.
<NOTES: Selina Elizabeth Sarah HITCHCOTT daughter of Henry James HITCHCOTT and Alice Selina TRICKEY, married Arnold S. BINDING
Charles Sidney BINDING is Arnold S. BINDING son of Sidney James BINDING and Lilian May CRIDLAND, married Selina Elizabeth HITCHCOTT>