Stepsibiling relationships in Victorian ettiquette

Lehcarjt · Nov 3, 2011

Thanks for taking a peek at this. I'm wondering if there were any hard and fast rules on step-siblings in Victorian times.

In my story I have a new blended family with a teenage girl on one side. And a teenage girl and 20 something boy on the other side. They all just moved in together (with both parents).

I'm looking for any information about boundaries (or lack of them) that might have been placed on the step-siblings in their daily life. And in particular, I'm wondering if the stepbrother would be allowed to behave in public exactly like a bio-brother (ie. Can he escort his step-sister without one of their parents being present?) .

Thanks.

ULTRAGOTHA · Nov 3, 2011

http://www.genetic-genealogy.co.uk/Toc115570145.html gives the list of who may not marry whom based on blood and marital relations in Britain. Step siblings may marry.

Is your story set in Britain?

As for a marriageable step brother escorting his marriageable step sister to a function without either parent, I do not know.

Lehcarjt · Nov 3, 2011

Thanks. There's no romance between them so no marriage.

Location: Upper class San Francisco - 1880. While they were new-moneyed and not as strictly proper as even NY, I try to emulate proper etiquette and then work my way down.

Alessandra Kelley · Nov 3, 2011

ULTRAGOTHA said:
http://www.genetic-genealogy.co.uk/Toc115570145.html gives the list of who may not marry whom based on blood and marital relations in Britain. Step siblings may marry.

So ... you can't marry your step-mother but you can marry your step-sister?

Ewww.

Kitti · Nov 4, 2011

So ... you can't marry your step-mother but you can marry your step-sister?

Ewww.

Ha! Go back in time two hundred years and you'll find women who are actually marrying under the condition that their young daughter from a previous marriage gets to eventually marry new hubby's young son and heir from his previous marriage.

Theo81 · Nov 4, 2011

Alessandra Kelley said:
So ... you can't marry your step-mother but you can marry your step-sister?

Ewww.

One of my mob married his Great Aunt.

She died following a fall down the stairs a few months later.

:evil

JimmyB27 · Nov 4, 2011

Alessandra Kelley said:
So ... you can't marry your step-mother but you can marry your step-sister?

Ewww.

A little OT, but why on earth is that eww?

Alessandra Kelley · Nov 5, 2011

JimmyB27 said:
A little OT, but why on earth is that eww?

I guess I'm squicked out at the idea of marrying a step-sibling. I may have said it confusingly.

scarletpeaches · Nov 5, 2011

I still don't get why that's 'eww'. If you're not blood-related and weren't brought up together, then... :Shrug:

Alessandra Kelley · Nov 5, 2011

Ah. I hadn't considered the "weren't brought up together" part. I imagined people reared together as youngsters with a brother-sister relationship.

Buffysquirrel · Nov 5, 2011

If you want to marry a step-relative now, you have to establish that you were never in a familial relationship.

Stlight · Nov 5, 2011

Now I'm confused. I thought the laws were to prevent genetic problems (real or disproved after the laws were established). What would the having been raised in a family situation or not have to do with it?

I can see where a person couldn't marry the spouse of their natural parent whether or not he/she adopted the person as a child. The power dynamic would be terrible for the person who had that person has a parent.

Buffysquirrel · Nov 5, 2011

Stlight said:
Now I'm confused. I thought the laws were to prevent genetic problems (real or disproved after the laws were established). What would the having been raised in a family situation or not have to do with it?

I suppose it's an extension of 'you can't marry your sister' to 'you can't marry someone to whom you have been a sister' either. Nobody said it made sense

.

Stepsibiling relationships in Victorian ettiquette

Lehcarjt

Been here, Done this.

ULTRAGOTHA

Merovingian Superhero

Lehcarjt

Been here, Done this.

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

Kitti

procrastinatrix

Theo81

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

scarletpeaches

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

Buffysquirrel

Stlight

ideas are floating where they will

Buffysquirrel