Percy Shelley & Harriet Westbrook: The Poet Who Abandoned His Pregnant Wife
He preached free love. She paid the price.
Key Facts
What Happened
Percy Bysshe Shelley eloped with fifteen-year-old Harriet Westbrook in August 1811, shortly after being expelled from Oxford for publishing an atheism pamphlet. The young couple married in Edinburgh, and Harriet bore him a daughter, Ianthe, in 1813. But by early 1814, the marriage had deteriorated. Shelley, who philosophically opposed the institution of marriage, had grown emotionally distant. The constant presence of Harriet's older sister Eliza in their household caused friction, and Shelley increasingly absented himself from home.
In May 1814, Shelley began visiting the home of his philosophical mentor William Godwin and fell passionately in love with Godwin's sixteen-year-old daughter, Mary. The couple declared their love during a visit to Mary's mother Mary Wollstonecraft's grave at St Pancras Old Church on June 26. On July 28, 1814, Shelley and Mary eloped to continental Europe, taking Mary's step-sister Claire Clairmont with them. Harriet, at the time, was the mother of a one-year-old and pregnant with their second child.
Harriet gave birth to their son Charles in November 1814, alone and abandoned. Shelley offered financial support but refused reconciliation, believing in his philosophy of free love. Harriet struggled with depression and isolation. In late 1816, reportedly pregnant by another man and despairing of her situation, Harriet drowned herself in the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park. She was found on December 10, 1816. Shelley married Mary Godwin on December 30, 1816 — just twenty days after Harriet's body was discovered.
The quick remarriage was largely strategic: Shelley needed to appear respectable to win custody of his two children by Harriet. He lost anyway. Lord Chancellor Eldon ruled against Shelley in 1817, citing his atheism and radical views, making it one of the earliest recorded cases where a father's moral character was used to deny custody. Harriet's tragic story is a reminder that philosophical ideals about love and marriage mean nothing when one person is left pregnant, abandoned, and without support.
Legal Breakdown: When abandonment during pregnancy leads to tragedy
Abandonment During Pregnancy
Shelley's abandonment of Harriet while she was pregnant represents one of history's most documented cases of spousal abandonment. Modern family law addresses this through abandonment as grounds for divorce, mandatory child support from the moment of birth, and in some jurisdictions, the ability to file for divorce while pregnant with protections for the expectant parent.
Moral Fitness and Custody
The 1817 custody ruling against Shelley was groundbreaking — one of the first cases where a father's moral character (rather than financial capacity) determined custody. This principle evolved into the modern 'best interests of the child' standard, which considers each parent's lifestyle, stability, and character when making custody determinations.
Financial Support Obligations
While Shelley offered some financial support to Harriet, it was insufficient and inconsistent. Modern child support laws establish clear obligations for both parents regardless of marital status, with enforcement mechanisms including wage garnishment, tax refund interception, and contempt of court for non-payment.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →If you are pregnant and your spouse leaves, you have legal rights — seek a family law attorney immediately
- →Abandonment is grounds for divorce in most jurisdictions and strengthens your position in court
- →Child support obligations exist from birth regardless of marital status
- →Mental health support is critical during pregnancy and abandonment — reach out to crisis resources
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