ABSTRACT
Even though direct authority227 is lacking, it would seem that a marriage that is monogamous at inception does not change its status even though the husband may subsequently go through a polygamous ceremony of marriage. Although there would seem to be no direct authority in the English courts, the matter was examined in detail by the Privy Council in AG of Ceylon v Read,228 where the facts were as follows: Alan and Edna Reid contracted a monogamous Roman Catholic marriage in 1933. In 1957, the parties ceased living together. In June 1959, Mr Reid converted to the Muslim faith. In July 1959, he was married by the Registrar of Muslim Marriages to one Fatima Pansy. In 1961, he was charged with bigamy.
