In the history of the courts of England and Wales, the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes was created by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857, which transferred the jurisdiction of the

ecclesiastical courts An ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages, these courts had much wider powers in many areas of Europe than be ...

in matters matrimonial to the new court so created. The Judge Ordinary of the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes also presided over the

Court of Probate In the history of the courts of England and Wales, the Court of Probate was created by the Court of Probate Act 1857, which transferred the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts in testamentary matters to the new court so created. The Judg ...

, but the two courts remained separate entities. On 1 November 1875, under the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 and the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1875, the Judge Ordinary of the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes was transferred, as its

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, to the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

Judges ordinary of the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes

* 6 January 1858: Sir Cresswell Cresswell * 26 August 1863: Sir James Plaisted Wilde (ennobled as Lord Penzance from 6 April 1869) * 14 November 1872: Sir James Hannen

References

*Robert Albion Pritchard, W Tarn Pritchard and John George Witt. A Digest of the Law and Practice of the Court for Divorce & Matrimonial Causes, and Appeals from that Court. Third Edition. Shaw and Sons. London. 1874
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*George Browne. A Treatise on the Principles and Practice of the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes. 1864. Second Edition. 1868. Third Edition. 1876. Fourth Edition. 1880. Bibliographic details
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*Joseph Haydn and Horace Ockerby, ''The Book of Dignities'', W.H. Allen & Co., 1894 Courts and tribunals established in 1957 1875 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Former courts and tribunals in England and Wales 1857 establishments in the United Kingdom Family courts Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1875 {{UK-law-stub