Kōrero: Divorce and separation

Formal separation, 1862

In the 19th century separation was far more easily achieved than divorce. The number of married couples living apart was not recorded – it was in part this lack of record that made it possible to do. Some couples simply stopped living together, while others, particularly those with more to lose, had complex legal arrangements. This is the first page of the deed of separation signed by Adeline and Thomas Renwick in 1862.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library, Renwick Family Collection
Reference: MSO-Papers-7750

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Megan Cook, 'Divorce and separation - 19th-century divorce and desertion', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/zoomify/29828/formal-separation-1862 (accessed 30 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Megan Cook, i tāngia i te 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 8 Nov 2018