VISCOUNT DUNGANNONpresented Petitions from the Women of Aylesbury and Inhabitants of Droitwich against any measure for legalizing marriage with a deceased wife's sister. He assured their Lordships that the strongest repugnance prevailed among the women of England to any change in the law; and the present petition was only one of many hundreds with which their table would be inundated should any such measure be again proposed. He believed the tendency of any such measure would be to destroy the peace and the comfort of the domestic hearths of England. The passing into law of such a provision would annihilate much social intercourse and domestic happiness, and would harbour jealousy and kindle suspicion, while it would be productive of no essential good to the community; and if it benefited a few persons it would be to the great injury of the many. He trusted that any measure which might be introduced into their Lordships' House for effecting a change in the law would meet with the same fate as its predecessors.
LORD WODEHOUSEsaid, that if the noble Viscount could produce no better proof of his assertion than the petition he had presented it would not go for much. That petition was signed by 300 women of Aylesbury and the neighbourhood. Now, 1824 he had a petition signed by 428 women of Aylesbury in favour of legalizing marriage with a deceased wife's sister; and they expressed an opinion directly contrary to that of the other ladies, for they believed that such marriages would have a beneficial effect, and were especially adapted to promote the happiness of families. He had also a petition signed by 145 ladies of Cheltenham to the same effect. If the result of such a measure depended on the verdict of the ladies of England he was confident that it would be carried.
THE LORD CHANCELLORexpressed his great satisfaction at the prospect of the ladies of England expressing their opinions on this subject, for it really was a woman's question. He believed that they would be against it by an immense majority, and his own opinion of the impropriety of any alteration in the law remained unchanged.
VISCOUNT DUNGANNONalso thought it desirable that the opinion of the women of England should be expressed. He must own that the noble Lord (Lord Wodehouse) had aimed a very fair shot at him; but at the same time he could not help mentioning that last year he presented a petition with the same object as the present from nearly 500 women in the neighbourhood of the metropolis; and he thought this Session would not pass without their Lordships' table being inundated with petitions to the same effect.