The rule for each witness#
Each witness is judged on their own. GOV.UK's wording for a deed poll names two witnesses aged 18 or over, and warns that some organisations will not accept a deed if a witness lives at the same address as you or is a close relative. A neighbour and their spouse, neither related to you and neither living with you, each pass that test.
Why a couple is still a poor choice#
Two witnesses are there to show that two independent people saw you sign. When both come from the same household, an organisation checking the deed sees one address twice, and the second signature adds less than it should. It is not a rule that will get the deed refused; it is the arrangement most likely to prompt a question, and a question is what good witnessing exists to avoid.
Your own husband or wife#
Never. Your spouse or partner is not independent of you, and GOV.UK's warning about relatives and shared addresses applies to them twice over. The same goes for a couple where one of them is your parent, sibling or in-law: that person is a relative, and their partner is a relative by marriage.
The simple answer#
Ask two people from two different households who have known you by your old name: a friend and a colleague, a neighbour and a friend. If a couple is the only pair of adults you can find, use one of them and find one more person elsewhere.
