8. Mary and Shelley only married so that Shelley could claim custody of his children from his first marriage.
Sometime in late November or early December 1816, the body of Harriet, Shelley’s first wife was found in the Serpentine River. It seems that the deserted twenty-two year old had killed herself after becoming pregnant by another man, leaving behind her two children by Shelley, Ianthe, and Charles. According to the laws of nineteenth-century society, the children had always been within Shelley’s control and but for his irregular way of life, Shelley could have claimed custody of them sooner. However, on their mother’s death, he decided the time had come to take responsibility for them.
Mary had a new child of her own, William. However, she was more than happy to take on her lover’s offspring. “I long more than ever that our house should be quickly ready for the reception of those dear children whom I love so tenderly then there will be a sweet brother and sister for my William, ” she wrote to Shelley. However, there was a problem. Harriet’s parents, the Westbrookes were claiming Shelley was an unfit father. Not only was he living with a woman who was not his wife, but also he was an atheist to boot. So, the Westbrookes appealed for custody because Shelley was no moral example for his children.
Shelley could do nothing about his atheism, although he and Mary did have William baptized as a matter of show. However, he could mend his marital status. So, on December 30, 1816, he and Mary were married at St Mildred’s Church, Bread Street, London in an attempt to convince the court to award him custody. Mary was well aware of his intentions and regarded the marriage pragmatically, writing to Shelley to tell her the date and place, her only request being that they married in London.
Mary had her own reasons for this location. For if Shelley hoped the marriage would reconcile him with his children, Mary also hoped it would mend things with her father. For her at least, the ruse succeeded for the Godwins were present to witness the marriage. However, things did not work out so well for Shelley. For in early 1817, the Lord Chancellor decided neither Shelley nor the Westbrookes were fit guardians for the children- and passed them into the custody of a respectable Kent clergyman instead.