Genealogy Chat

Oh yes, I have that with a wife who gradually increases her age over 4 censuses so its almost correct in the last one - lol. But I think in the above case it was still probably quite embarrasingly that such a young boy was about to father a child

I think sometimes, too, Heather, if the wife was a bit older than the husband, years were added on/knocked off to make the age gap look less striking.

My distant relation Ellen Hurst (b.1848) married James Yates (b.1856) when she was 28. It seems like James converted and became a Catholic as his baptism is listed just before they married, and he has mysteriously backdated his birth year to 1854.

In 1852 I had a boy of 16 marrying a girl of 20. On the cert he has given his age as 19 (father was present!). She had first kiddie a few months later - I guess everyone was embarrassed about his age and allowed the lie!

Sorry for being so long in getting back but had to go out. Keith thanks for the info it's a great help and Caroline thats what I felt but think there may have been a family on the way . Thanks again

Norah

Dear Norah

It was certainly legal but in my experiance unusual.
I had a distant cousin who was married at 15 to a man of 25.....!

Caroline

The age at which a person could marry and at which they would require consent has changed since 1837. Then marriage could be at 12 for a girl and 14 for a boy, but consent of parent(s) was required for both up to the age of 21. In 1926 the age of marriage for both parties was raised to 16 but consent for both was still required until 21. Now, the age at which people can marry is still 16 but the age for consent has been lowered to 18.

So the answer is yes it was legally possible.

for a boy of 15 to marry and have a family in 1826?

Norah