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Events on Friday 28 August 1857 1
1857Matrimonial Causes Act passed in BritainCivil divorce introduced in England and WalesThe British Parliament passed the Matrimonial Causes Act, creating a civil court for divorce and ending the Church of England's exclusive jurisdiction over marriage dissolution. Previously, divorce had required a private Act of Parliament, available only to the wealthy. The law made divorce, though still difficult, accessible to a much wider public.