Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Showing posts with label Bigamy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bigamy. Show all posts

Thursday 21 January 2021

Martin Mullarkey, Catherine Loughlin and Julia Garvey

Speke and Garston Coastal Reserve
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Dixon - geograph.org.uk/p/4069433
Looking along the shore of the River Mersey towards Garston Docks

In 1881, Martin Mullarkey (40) was boarding at 8, Hughes Street, Garston, Liverpool with Anthony Mullarkey (16) General Labourer and Michael Mullarkey (7), among 15, mostly Irish, people. All three from Ireland.

In 1891, Martin Mullarkey (51) General labourer for corporation and his younger son, Michael Mullarkey (17) Shoemaker, were lodging in Thomas Street, Garston. This narrows them down to being from Mayo, Ireland

On both of these censuses, Martin Mullarkey is described as a widower, which may be doubtful, as several newspaper reports had appeared, one in the Manchester Evening News, on Tuesday, 2 Apr 1872.

AN EXTRORDINARY DEFENCE:- At Liverpool Police Court, yesterday, an Irishman named Martin Mullarkey was charged with bigamy. It having been proved that he was married, some few years ago, at a Roman Catholic chapel near Westport, County Mayo, and that he was married to a woman named Julia Garvey, in Liverpool, about twelve months since, the first wife being still alive, he was called on for his defence. He said that the first marriage was a forced one; that he was taken sixteen miles from his home by a lot of men, and married in spite of himself. (Roars of laughter.) This was done in the dead of night; and he did not think it was allowed for a man to be married without a certificate or anything of that kind. One of the witnesses for the prosecution admitted that the marriage took place at about eleven o'clock at night. The prisoner was remanded.

A later report, on Tuesday, 16 Apr 1872, named the first wife as Miss Catherine Loughlin, who he had married in Islandeady, Mayo, about 12 years previously. It also went on to say that, "The second wife said she did not wish to prosecute, and the prisoner was discharged." She wished to see no more of him, provided he paid for the expense of maintaining the child.

The Belfast Evening Telegraph on Thursday, 18 Apr 1872, under the headline, BIGAMY MADE EASY, added that Mullarkey had emigrated to England about two years ago (i.e. 1870) and that this second marriage had resulted in the birth of a child. "The circumstance at length reached the ears of the first wife, who came to England in search of her errant husband ..."

Is this the same Martin Mullarkey from Mayo? It certainly fits. 

I've not been able to find birth or marriage records in Ireland to confirm, but I think it safe to believe that Anthony Mullarkey was originally from County Mayo, Ireland and that his mother may have been Catherine Loughlin.

These pages are my notes on work in progress. Follow That Page can monitor changes, as further research is done. Where something is unconfirmed, I've tried to make this clear, but include the information as it may provide further clues.

General Register Office (GRO) references for births and deaths, where appropriate, are quoted, so that you can more easily locate certificates. I do not routinely purchase certificates for any, other than my direct ancestors, which I'm willing to share.

If you have information, certificates, etc., you can offer, please get in touch.