Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-02-22
The Marriage of Wards of Court.

The general superintendent and pro-
tective jurisdiction over the persons and
property of infants which is vested in the
Crown, has for very long period been
delegated to the Court of Chancery;
and by the Supreme Court. of Judica-
ture Act OF 1873, is retained for the
Chancery division of the High Court of
Justice, which takes the direction of
their estate, and appoints guardians for
their persons only. The young persons
thus protected are called "Wards of
Court" and are constituted such by
any suit which relates to them, or on an
order for their maintenance being made
upon petition or summons, or when
money in which they are interested is
paid into Court under the Trustee Re-
lief Act of 1917; but unless infants have
property, the Court will not exercise its
jurisdiction concerning them.
Now, to enable a Chancery ward,
whether male or female, to marry, 1t is
necessary to apply to the Court for per-
mission for him or her to do so; which
will only be granted on satisfactory evil
,dence that the alliance is a.suita BILE one,
and that a proper marriage settlement
will be made; on which beng done. an
order is drawn up giving the ward lib
erty to marry. II % r..r#
Formerly, the Court of Chancery de-
clined t, sanction the marriage of an
infant ward when, on account of his in
fancy, it was impossible for him to settle
his real property so as to 60 along with
his title. or to provide for his younger
children by settlement. 1t IS provided,
however, by the Infants Settlement
Act for 1856, that every male infant of
twenty-one years, and every female in
FAINT of seventeen years, may upoL, or
in contemplation of marriage, with the
approval of the Court, make a valid and
binding settlement of their real or per-
sonal estate on their matrimony.
1t is considered a very serious con.
tempt of Court to marry ward with
out its consent; and the pereon who
does so, as well as those who contribute
and assist atthe marriage, are liable to
be committed to prison; while, if they
are peers or. peeresses, sequestration
will be ordered against them; but
members of the House of Com mons will
not be privileged from arrest and inn
prisonment for this offense. : =
The Court may also prevent female
ward from receiving letters, messages,
etc.. as was done in the case of Leoni,
a Jewish singer. If it is doubtful
whether marriage with ward Of the
weaker sex is valid, en- inquiry may be
made to ascertain this, and all inter-
course will in the meantime be re-
strained; and if it be found tn at the
marriage is illegal, valid one will be
ordered. For moral reasons. this course
may also be adopted with male
ward.
1t is likewise considered an aggra-
waited conte mpt of Court for a person to
marry one of its wards much above him
or her in rank. In Herbert's case, last
century, it was decided to be a very
gross contempt when an infant ward,
who possessed twelve hundred pounds
year, upon coming to town from Ok
ford, was drawn into marrying COM
mon servant-maid older than imself,
stance, in which an infant of good
family, the representative of a very old
baronet, was about to be entrapped
layers daughter, the Court would not
permit it, and stopped the marriage. In
q third case, also, it was considered
very criminal in all parties who con-
trived the marriage of "a ward OF
Court with eight thousand pounds, to-
the son of Lord Tankerville's steward,
as already referred to-. 1t appears,
however, from several other cases, that
the possession of large fortune by the
other party would be. considered to-
counterbalance any but a very great i'm
equality of rank; though the Court
would not probably allow a man of no
property whatever, although of equal
family, to marry an infant heiress of
rank with very large possessions, not
withstanding the consent of the guard
ians and all other parties concerned.-,
Chambers Journal.
Three men fell $50 feet in the Como