] As to why anyone bothered getting a divorce, I'm not sure about that either. I assume it's as you say, Barb- to release themselves from the financial obligations to the spouse. And since women almost never got a divorce grated in their favour, it allowed the man to walk away, and the woman was left pretty destitute.

] This sounds like something that Lawrence Stone would write about........

This probably explains the popularity of mistresses. Why put yourself through the financial rigamarole of a divorce when you could keep someone discreetly on the side? Of course, once again, women lose out on this deal but it helps to explain why mistresses could be an "accepted" part of society.