Macgregor, and Campbell v. Campbell

This case was an action for declarator of marriage and legitimacy. Pursuer Katharine Macgregor lived with Lieutenant Duncan Campbell for a number of years prior to his death, and the two had a son. Macgregor initially served as Campbell’s housekeeper, but she alleged that during the year before his death, they traveled to Kinghorn and were married. Macgregor produced depositions from a number of witnesses who testified that people in the couple’s neighborhood commonly believed that they were married. However, the defenders, who were relatives of Lieutenant Campbell, argued that his statements to that effect were unserious, and that Macgregor had not required others—especially Campbell’s servants—to address her as the lady of the house.