Was having several children without being married common (1840s)

[StripySocksAndDocs]

Trying to figure out if I've the right family on the census.

I have a marriage cert- 1845 - but there's three children (one - my ancestor- has the right name I don't know about siblings so trying to figure out if this is them). The location is right and the surname is an unusual one. The first names of the parents match the wedding cert.

I had the idea in my head that couples, where the man stuck around, would get married way back them. Reputation and all that kind of public opinion.

Seamstress was a euphemism for prostitute
Does anybody links or articles to explain this? I have a couple of seamstress single mothers in my tree, I'm now wondering if the were, in fact, prostitutes

Well, actual seamstresses did exist! They can’t all have been tarts as well.

If you Google there is reference to this happening in the USA.

But seamstress was a legitimate job !

Not got any further with this. Still no trace of first wife, but he’s certainly down as widower when he marries the woman who is on all censuses as living with him. Hadn’t thought of his two wives having the same name though, they’d have been the same age too though.

The Seamstresses' Guild in Ankh-Morpork was one of the most powerful in the city

I have an ancestor that never married. But that was because she was married before and did not get divorced. It just didn't happen then - act of parliament etc

She is down in the census as the same name as 'husband' but never married him.