The cold hard fact was that marriages among gentry during this period were generally only objected to if the parties objected (one could endow whatever church, priory or house with lands to make up for the sins [e. g., Holy Trinity (Abbaye-aux-Dames) and St. Stephen (Abbaye-aux-Hommes) in Caen]).

This is exemplified in that James de Audeley held the wardship and marriage of the heir of de Mascy (Hamon). James died, endowing the guardianship on his mistress, Alice (de Mohun) (de Clinton) de Beauchamp, who wedded Hamon de Mascy to her daughter Isabel de Beauchamp. The story goes that she died on her wedding night before consumation. Alice then married Hamon to the next daughter, Mary de Beauchamp. He later [after four children] divorced her on the grounds that the marriage was not lawful (you get the gist), and married Joan de Clinton (! -- still unlawful, technically). The heir, Hamon, was declared a bastard, but the sisters and their heirs eventually inherited the ancient barony of Dunham Massey. [Paul C Reed (Reedpcgen), soc.genealogy.medieval] 2238

Links

• http://www.celtic-casimir.com/webtree/5/44019.htm
• http://cybergata.com/roots/4058.htm