divorce c1860 Sheffield

Just trawling around through the censuses & came across what appears (to me)
to be a divorced couple living together in 1861 & wondered if anyone could
advise me as to the likelihood of this being the case & how I could find out
more.

Charani...

The chances of them being divorced is high unlikely. I think I'm
right in saying that at that time divorce required an Act of
Parliament or something like that. Divorce was only for the rich who
could afford such luxuries. The poor man's divorce was bigamy.

Others may have a different view but it would appear that they hadn't
*quite* got around to getting married but posed as married in 1851 but
were slightly more honest in the 1861. Possibly Samuel was married to
someone else so not free to marry Maria.

Have a look on FreeBMD for a marriage between the two.

As Roy has said a few times: beware applying 20th/21st century
thinking to 19th century situations!! :))

In 1851 census, Samuel Oxley is married to Maria (Wild) and living (with two
of their children) with her parents.

In 1861 census, Maria Wild is head of the household & marked as a Widow,
there are 2 children (not the same ones as the 1851 census), Maria O Wild &
Jane E O Wild & a lodger named as Samuel Oxley. Samuel (on both censuses)
was born in Conisboro, Yorkshire in 1826. In 1861, he is also marked as a
Widower. The two children from 1851 seem to have disappeared.

Jane's birth entry is down as Jane Elizabeth Oxley Wild & Maria's appears to
be just Maria Wild.

Is this a divorced couple still living together or something else?

How can I find out?