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Author Topic: Age on Marriage Certificates  (Read 605 times)
Joanah
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Age on Marriage Certificates
« on: Monday 28 January 08 12:48 UTC (UK) »
Has anyone found an examples of Age 21 on a marriage certificate actually meaning 'Age over 21'? Both husband and wife are said to be 21 on this Darlington Register Office wedding certificate but I have reason to believe that the husband could be a good deal older (about 16 years older in fact). Or of course I could have the wrong couple!!

Any ideas?

Joanah
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whitbygeoff
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Harold Jacobs 1884-1959 as a teenager
Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #1 on: Monday 28 January 08 13:18 UTC (UK) »
This is not uncommon. My Grt grandfather married in 1889 - both he and his wife were 24 yrs of age but the marriage certificate reads "full age". Geoff Smiley
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Jacobs - Norfolk, North Yorkshire & Durham
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madpants
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Old Pants for Mum44
Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #2 on: Monday 28 January 08 14:29 UTC (UK) »
It also depends on the person giving the information, my GGG grandma knocked a few years off her age for her second marriage so she didn't look too much like a cradle snatcher  Grin
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GREENWELL - Middlesbrough
TURNBULL - Houghton le Spring, Coxhoe, Spennymoor
DEVEY - Pentonville, Stockton, M'bro
MOHAN/HUN - Stockton on Tees
SCRAFTON - Darlington
BROADBENT - Saddleworth, Ashton Under Lyne
HEMSWELL - Grantham, M'bro
SIMPKINS - M'bro
SIMPKIN - Little Wratting, Suffolk
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Mean_genie
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #3 on: Monday 28 January 08 15:15 UTC (UK) »
quite apart from people who were being 'economical with the truth', it might depend on the question being asked. If it were a church marriage I would suggest looking at the actual register for that period, to see the ages on other marriage entries, but since it is a Register Office marriage you won't be able to do that. I am always wary of '21' as an age at marriage, because if the parties were asked 'Are you 21?', everyone in the room would understand that the real meaning of the question was 'Are you of age?', rather in the same way that a pub landlord might ask if you are 18, meaning '18 and upwards' . So they could truthfully answer 'yes' even if they were 22, 23, or even 43! Or of course they could simply be lying, or even not be quite sure of their exact ages.

For what it's worth, I did a kind of straw poll some years ago on about 100 marriage certs where I had some independent evidence of ages, and I found that about 1 in 4 had a wrong age on it. Most of them are only a year or two out, but I have always taken a flexible approach to ages since!

Mean_genie
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Joanah
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Posts: 22


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #4 on: Monday 28 January 08 15:58 UTC (UK) »
Many thanks for the very helpful replies! Joanah
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Joanah
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #5 on: Monday 28 January 08 23:33 UTC (UK) »
Joanah here again!

I was pondering on mean-genie's very useful comments and wondering if anyone has a marriage certificate from Darlington Registry Office in the early 1870s (mine is April quarter 1871) that gives two 21s for the ages. Bit of a long shot but I'm amazed by what turns up on Rootschat!

What would be the main reasons for choosing a Reg Office at this time? Would it be non-conformism?

Thanks All! 

Joanah
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madpants
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Old Pants for Mum44
Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #6 on: Monday 28 January 08 23:51 UTC (UK) »
I have one from Darlington register office 1854  Grin  it says 21 and 19 but by my reckoning she should have been 17  Grin
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GREENWELL - Middlesbrough
TURNBULL - Houghton le Spring, Coxhoe, Spennymoor
DEVEY - Pentonville, Stockton, M'bro
MOHAN/HUN - Stockton on Tees
SCRAFTON - Darlington
BROADBENT - Saddleworth, Ashton Under Lyne
HEMSWELL - Grantham, M'bro
SIMPKINS - M'bro
SIMPKIN - Little Wratting, Suffolk
MALLALIEU - Saddleworth, Ashton U L
GOODWIN - Macclesfield Forest
SUTCLIFFE - Heptonstall, Ashton U L
PLIMMER - Pontesbury, Ashton U L
CAMBRIDGE - Goulborne, Ashton U L
SIDDALL - Ashton U L
marie1983
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Re: Age on Marriage Certificates
« Reply #7 on: Monday 04 February 08 20:03 UTC (UK) »
I have a certificate where their ages are both just given as "under age".
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most of weardale!
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