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age of consent in 1848?

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Paul Barton, Special Agent

Paul Barton, Special Agent Report 9 Feb 2007 06:31

If you're basing his age on the 1841 census, ages were invariably rounded up or down by as much as five years. It's not a reliable means of establishing ages. Have you found him on any other censuses?

InspectorGreenPen

InspectorGreenPen Report 8 Feb 2007 17:00

Age of consent i.e. without parents approval was 21. Full meant 21 or over. Most likely explanation is that he lied about his age, not an uncommon occurrence, especially if you have other evidence to prove it.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Report 8 Feb 2007 16:57

Got the marriage certificate of a chap married in 1848, the census says was born in 1830---does this mean that the age of consent was 18 in 1848 (he is described as 'of full age' on the certificate). I thought age of consent to marry was 21 up until recently? Could it be that he was not born in 1830? Liz