Of full age at marriage

[sgrollitt]

My great-great-grandmother was married at Peters in Dublin in 1846. She and her husband, who was probably English, were described as 'of full age'. In England that would mean they were 21 or over. Does it mean the same in Ireland?


Thanks,
Simon

[Christopher]

Yes, Simon. Full age means the same in Ireland as it does in England.

[sgrollitt]

Thanks Christopher, I thought so. I know that she was, in fact, only 13 when she was married. Her husband was 19. They left Ireland for England and she had her first of eight children there when she was just 14.

[JAP]

Hello Simon,

One needs to very careful indeed in stating what the minimum age for marriage was and what "full age" might have meant - it differed according to the year, and (if we are talking about the UK) the country.

For example, currently (my understanding is - though I suggest you may wish to check this out to ensure that I am right) the ages are:
*England & Wales - 16 with consent of parents, 18 otherwise
*Scotland - 16, no consent required
*Northern Ireland - 17 with consent, otherwise 18
and also (leaving the UK)
*Ireland - 18, otherwise court approval required

At the time of which you are speaking (1846), my understanding is that the minimum age for marriage in England & Wales was 14 for males and 12 for females but that parental consent was required for persons under 21.  I believe that this also applied to all of Ireland.  It did not apply to Scotland.

The various churches may also have had their own rules which might have differed from civil laws.

Regards,

JAP

[sgrollitt]

That's very interesting JAP. It means that it was legal therefore for my great-great-grandmother to marry at 13 so long as her parents consented. She was from the parish of Mullary in Monasterboice north of Drogheda. Presumably she married in Dublin because that's the port from which she left for England with her new husband.

Thanks, Simon

[JAP]

Hi Simon,

But, of course, that doesn't actually mean that your GGGma did have parental consent 

Had she married in Scotland at that time, she wouldn't even have needed parental consent!  Refer:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01hp/

Though I doubt that many people as young as your ancestor did actually marry - with or without parent consent 

Are you absolutely certain that she was only 13 when she married?  If this comes from census records or (say) a death certificate, they are not necessarily reliable.

Regards,

JAP

[sgrollitt]

I have discovered from church records (Tenure in Mullary) that she (Anne Boden) was born and baptised on the same day in 1834.

Thanks for  your help,
Simon