To find out whether following his separation in 1808 Richard Campbell
Bassett petitioned Parliament for a divorce
Olivia has come to Westminster petitioning was a complicated and
expensive process and in the first half of the 19th century on average only
three divorces were granted each year olivia is meeting Joanne Peggy Otto an
expert on the history of family law hi Joanne very excited nosey Joanne's
taking her into the parliamentary archives and this is the original acts
room Wow Wow it's never-ending it's amazing there are over 64,000 Acts
stored here covering all sorts of things yes and lots about tax some will have a
little read of some of those hi Megan lovely to meet you before you squeeze it
and you're here to find out about Richard and driving a petition to an act
of parliament and he did Wow so the third bond of matrimony between richard
campbell Bizet and margaret and his wife being violated and broken by the
manifest and open adultery of the said Margaret Anne be and is hereby
henceforth wholly dissolved annulled and made void so he got it
yes he did this is the actual Act he was successful Richard Campbell Bizet that's
amazing you can see the date as well 13th of March 1809 and then this is
really important bit if they act a right okay that it may be lawful for Richard
Campbell Bizet at any time to marry in the lifetime of the said Margaret Anne
as if she was actually dead as if she was actually dead nice okay so this is
very clear March 1809 he can move on and marry
again so hopefully he now goes to find Sarah well there is a twist in this tale
okay the next thing I'd like to show you is Richards will see the date here 17th
of January 18:33 yes so that over 20 years after
the divorce that's right this is the last will and testament of one richard
campbell pizzette court with respect a give and bequeath my property to be
divided between my beloved wife sarah Bizet okay and my beloved sons Oh
William young Bizet Charles young rosette Henri young Bizet Richard Young
was it an Alfred young was it so five five boys charles is the one that I'm
descended from his oak we have twelve and these are Charles is cadet papers
dated 1827 stating that he's the right age to join the army
so I Charles young Bizet to make oath and swear that from the information of
my parents that I was born on 12th of September in the year 1807 okay so yes
1807 Oh God Charles young Bizet is born in eighteen
seven and of course if the divorce is not granted until March at eighteen nine
so Richard he has made a big deal about his first wife yes being unfaithful
unfaithful that's terrible meanwhile he's definitely having it away with
Sarah I liked him a little while ago Richard but now what a hypocrite
hang on which son is Charles which number is he stealth is number two so
there is an older son William William is baptized yeah in January 1806 and it's
the summer of that year that Margaret is accused of beginning an affair with
Frederick okay so I'm descended from Charles their second son do you know
anything else about Charles well I've got this oh this is from at the 1871
census many decades later we're in reading now yes Charles
Bizet head head of household that's right
married yeah sixty three three leftenant colonel
Indian Army retired I said he did get through he did and it tells us where he
was born Middlesex London Oh Harriet wife yes Oh
sixty-three well I suppose I knew he had a some sort of relationship by the
lesson one two three servants oh how lovely so they're very comfortably
retired yeah so Harriet is my great-great-great grandmother that's
right and Harriet was born East Indies kissing something kiss him good just
what it is dad I don't know well I've never heard of
that it's a fairly remote town in the northeast of India and it's interesting
that Harriet is born indication ganj in 1807 and see I had no idea
yes that my family had any connection to India at all so it might be interesting
for you to go to Kishen Ganj to find out more about Harriet your three-times
great-grandmother have you been to India before I'm not very brave let go
anywhere Norfolk okay wait my mom knows her Olivia has discovered that her
great-great great-grandmother Harriet was born in Kishen guns in the Indian
state of Bihar in 1807
you