30,000 people tried for bigamy over the past 400 years in England and Wales, archives reveal

Bigamy has been a rare crime during the past 400 years—and offenders have been harshly punished.

It seems likely that no more than 30,000 individuals have ever been tried for bigamy in England and Wales during this period.

Most have been convicted, and possible punishment has ranged from execution, branding, whipping, transportation and imprisonment to fines and community service in more recent decades. ...