RESEARCH PROFILE

The unifying theme of my research is the boundary between marriage and cohabitation. This has two dimensions. The first is the way in which marriage is defined to distinguish it from cohabitation, or from non-marriage. The second is the question of whether legal rights should be accorded to relationships outside marriage and, if so, how such relationships should be defined. I am particularly interested in the historical definition and treatment of marriage, bigamy, and cohabitation, and my reassessment of the Clandestine Marriages Act of 1753 was published by Cambridge University Press in July 2009. I am currently working on a history of the law's treatment of cohabiting couples.

BACKGROUND

RESEARCH PROJECTS

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Rebecca Probert,Chris Barton, (2012) Fifty Years in Family Law: Essays for Stephen Cretney , Intersentia
• Rebecca Probert,Andrea Kingston, (2012) Tackling Domestic Violence , Takeaway
• Probert, R.(2011) 'The evolution of the common-law marriage myth' Family Law 41 283 - 288 (0014-7281)
• Probert, R.(2011) The rights and wrongs of royal marriage: how the law has led to heartbreak, farce and confusion and why it must be changed (9780956384737) Kenilworth: Takeaway
• Rebecca Probert,Stephen Gilmore, Jonathan Herring (eds), (2011) Landmark Cases in Family Law , Hart

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