William Crickmore was the son of Henry Crickmore II and brother of Henry Crickmore III. He had a comparatively short life and one full of tragedy. He was married three times and all of his wives died whilst their children were still toddlers.
William seems to have been guilty of a breach of the 1835 Marriage Act, difficult legislation to understand in the twenty-first century! Amongst other provisions, this Act prohibited the marriage of a man with his deceased wife’s sister. It seems that William, his second wife Eliza, her sister Charlotte Fisk and brother George Spilling are all guilty of complicity in breaking the law.
Here is the marriage entry of William and Elisabeth Spilling in 1842:
And here is his marriage to Eliza Spilling in 1847:
Charlotte Spilling, older sister of both wives, married a Henry Fisk who was, thank goodness, no relation to anybody else we know. She has witnessed both marriages and clearly gone along with the false declaration of her brother-in-law William Crickmore’s bachelor status. This second marriage took place in the city of Norwich: perhaps they wanted to keep away from their home parish of Broome, where everyone would know the truth. Remember they were all performing an illegal act …