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'Full Age' on marriage certificate

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Charles

Charles Report 30 Oct 2006 21:13

I have what appears to be 'full age' in the age column for the bride on a marriage certificate from 1850. I am assuming that they did not know her age with any precision and that 'full age' is simply saying she is old enough. Anyone else had this?

Janet in Yorkshire

Janet in Yorkshire Report 30 Oct 2006 21:14

Twenty one or over - it is quite common, especially in earlier certs. Jay

KeithInFujairah

KeithInFujairah Report 30 Oct 2006 21:15

Hi Charles, Full age meant the party was 21 or over at the time of marriage

Sharon

Sharon Report 30 Oct 2006 21:15

it usually means age 21 or over, the legal age to marry without parents consent sharon

Charles

Charles Report 30 Oct 2006 21:17

Thanks to all of you for a very quick response. I had suspected that was the meaning but always best to be sure.

Abigail

Abigail Report 30 Oct 2006 21:44

I don't think the requirement was to give your age, just the assurance that you had attained legal adulthood, which was 21. It can be a bit irritating as I know by comparing with birth certs that a pair of mine were 22 and 23 respectively when they married although, even more misleading than 'Full Age' it states '21'. Shame sometimes, as two more nuggets of valuable information are rendered useless by this convention! I found this on an English birth cert from 1908 Abigail

Suzie

Suzie Report 31 Oct 2006 01:06

yeah thanks! I always wondered what tha meant too.Have a few of them.

Jill 2011 (aka Warrior Princess of Cilla!)

Jill 2011 (aka Warrior Princess of Cilla!) Report 31 Oct 2006 13:02

Can also mean that they are not over 21 but had parents' consent - happened on one of mine and threw me completely off the scent for ages until I was told by someone else that they could have been younger! Or, they could have lied about their age. Jill

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