Hyde v Hyde and Woodmansee

Hyde v Hyde and Woodmansee was a court case heard in 1866, which established the definition of marriage in English law.

The case arose in the context of a couple who had been married in the Mormon church in the US state of Utah: such marriages at that time were potentially polygamous. The judge, Lord Penzance, ruled that such a marriage could not be recognised in Englaish law.


 * "Marriage as understood in Christendom is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others."