The Marriage Act of 1823, added on to the original Marriage act of 1753. The first Act called for ceremonial marriage, no marriages in secret. The revised Act called for the consent of the women before marriage. Originally "unless young women were widowed, England did not allow independent marital consent"(Nelson, Heather). The Act changed this and opened the door for women to gain a little more authority when it came to their lives. It also relates to Charles Dickens' Bleak House, as we think of the different independent women throught the novel, Mrs. Jellyby, or Mrs Snagsby, who are more outspoken. They have a bit more edge in their marriages whereas other women may be in a more abusive marriage. It is interesting to look at the different women throughout the book and see how their social constructs vary. 

Nelson, Heather. “‘When a Daughter Elopes to Gretna, Generally It Is a Wicked Thing’: Female Consent, Clandestine Marriage, and Susannah Frances Reynolds's Gretna Green; Or, All for Love.” ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews, volume 28, number 2, 2015, pages 79-86. Taylor & Francis, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0895769X.2015.1035367?journalCode=va....