The Marriage of Lunatics Act 1811 was an Act of
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
implemented under the reign of
George III of Great Britain
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. It was intended "to prevent the marriage of
Lunatics
Lunatic is an antiquated term referring to a person who is seen as mentally ill, dangerous, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moonstruck".
History
The ter ...
" and make all marriages to Lunatics prior to and after the bill, whether diagnosed before marriage or otherwise, "null and void to all intents and purposes whatsoever".
The Act reads as follows:
The Act was fully repealed in 2021 on the commencement of the
Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015.
References
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Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Ireland
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1811
1811 in Ireland
Ableism in the United Kingdom
Marriage law in the United Kingdom
Disrupted marriage