The myth of common law marriage
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The myth of common law marriage – that couples who live together have the same legal rights as married couples – springs from a time when there was uncertainty about what constituted a marriage. Church and State marriage ceremonies are relatively recent – grafted onto older popular rites whose legitimacy was not dependent on written law.
Marriage by consent
In earlier times, the validity of a marriage depended on the consent of the two parties publicly announced or at least symbolised by...
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