Marrying cousins

[humbug]

Hi

I have just received another certificate which is confirming my preliminary research - and I am reasonably certain that I have two first cousins marrying one another

My question is - is this acceptable and is it common???

Thanks in advance

[Necromancer]

Yes, and not uncommon !

http://www.weddingguideuk.com/articles/legal/prohibited.asp

 

[toni*]

acceptable now and back then
 

not uncommon, if you come from relatively small place you are probably related to everyone somehow anyway 

[humbug]

thanks newf and toni 

[Les de B]

My great grandparents were first cousins. Last time I looked, I still only had 5 digits on each hand/foot and one head.

Seriously though, I wouldn't say it was a "common" event, but it did happen. I have ancestors in Channel Islands back in the 1600/1700's, and the same family names seem to re-appear married to each other a couple of times.

Les

[humbug]

  at having all your digits

These people are great great grandparents of hubby (it does now explain several things i have known for years!!! )

The fathers (Cunningham) came from the North Shields area, but the cousins (Solomon) are all from Somerset

[stanmapstone]

It was not only possible for first cousins [cousins-german] to marry each
other; it was also quite common, having been legalized in the 1540s.
The Act was 32 Hen VIII, c.38 (1540). [Marriage]. (Precontracting & Degrees
of Consanguinity). Which says in effect that all marriages were valid unless prohibited by God's laws. 2nd . July 1540.
Among its other provisions it declared that the relationship between first
cousins did not constitute a divine prohibition of affinity.


It is quite a common misconception that marriages of first cousins were either illegal or frowned upon by the Church. Cousin marriages have never been in the forbidden list of kindred. The list of forbidden partners are stated in the Book of Common Prayer.
See http://www.stlukesrec.org/bcp1662/kindred62.pdf
Stan

[Necromancer]

all pretty much as in the earlier link   

[Nick29]

Marriage between first cousins is legal throughout Europe, but not necessarily considered to be morally correct by all cultures.  The USA is the only western culture to forbid the marriage of first cousins, although it is legal to do so in 26 out of 50 states in the US.

In earlier times, marriage between cousins was a way of keeping land and possessions "within the family".

"A BBC report found that Pakistanis in Britain, 55% of whom marry a first cousin, are 13 times more likely than the general population to produce children with genetic disorders, and that one in ten children of cousin marriages either dies in infancy or develops a serious disability. Thus Pakistani-Britons, who account for some 3% of all births in the UK, produce "just under a third" of all British children with genetic illnesses." Cousin couple - Wiki