possible to marry at 14 in rural Norfolk in 18th century?

[nicholastolson]

I appear to have a groom (Henry Page, of Hempnall) marrying at age 14 in 1776. Is this possible, or does it mean I've made a mistake? I note that Henry's father was a witness.

[Ruskie]

Found this elsewhere on the net:

Up until as recently as 1929 the law in England (and Wales) still allowed boys as young as 14 and girls as young as 12 to be legally married. This had been the case for many years previously although Hardwicke's Marriage Act of 1753 required the consent of parents or guardians to be obtained before a marriage could take place in such circumstances. Source: Ancestral Trails by Mark D Herber.


I would still expect it to be quite unusual for such a young boy to marry. I think it would have been more likely to be the aristocracy who married young with the intention of securing wealth and land with such a partnership. What age was the girl he married?

With such a common name as Henry Page I would be wondering if I had the wrong Henry.

You say that Henry the father was a witness - how do you know this is young Henry's father? Could it be Henry Page snr who is marrying or remarrying? Could there be a third Henry Page - perhaps older, or a cousin called Henry Page who witnessed the marriage?

Have you checked for marriage licences or other documentation to see if there is further information about the couple?

[Yorkslass]

Unusually, the entry in the marriage register does say "Henry Page, the father" which is very helpful.

Isn't it more likely the Henry who married Elizabeth in 1776 was this one - baptised at Hempnall on July 24 1757 by Henry and Mary Page, which would make him 19 when he married -

 http://www.rootschat.com/links/019mi/

Yorkslass

[Redroger]

yes, quite legal in that era, and as you say only abandoned in 1929. In some EU countries I believe the age of consent is 15 (France) and 14 (Italy) This I believe is one aspect where the EU could do something useful, a common age of consent and majority through out the union.What was less usual was in 1956 a boy in my class left school at the age of 16 to get married. No names obviously as likely still living, but the couple are likely to celebrate their diamond wedding in 2016 at the age of 76 both. We are 9 years behind them, early for my family.

[nicholastolson]

Many thanks to all.

Isn't it more likely the Henry who married Elizabeth in 1776 was this one - baptised at Hempnall on July 24 1757 by Henry and Mary Page, which would make him 19 when he married -

Not sure this would work, as my need is really to find a Hempnall marriage for John Baldwin (chr 1762) and Elizabeth Adams. I came up with Elizabeth Adams = Henry Page on 2 Apr 1776, then Henry Page buried on 28 Feb 1784, then Elizabeth Page (widow) = John Balding on 29 Oct 1787.

It's a nice solution - except that Henry's burial record says he was aged 22, making him 14 at the time of marriage, which was why I raised this issue (and why Yorkslass' interesting idea unfortunately won't work). Of course, the vicar filling out the burial register could have been misinformed.

[Ruskie]

Have you seen Henry's burial record to see if it does say he was 22. There could have been an error recording his age or in transcriptions if that is what you are relying on.

I am a bit confused as to what you are trying to prove with these marriages ... I'm not sure I have this right ... are you saying that Elizabeth married twice or three times? Are John Baldwin and John Balding the same chap?

or

Do you think Elizabeth Adams married Henry Page and then this Elizabeth Page (widow) married  John Balding?

Do you have Elizabeth's death and does it give her age, so you can work out her year of birth to see if it is likely that she married a 14 year old boy in 1776? 

[nicholastolson]

Thanks, Ruskie. To answer your points:

(1) I've found several children born in Hempnall in the 1790s to parents John Baldwin and Elizabeth Adams Baldwin. I can't find a marriage of John B. to Elizabeth Adams, but I did find her marriage to Henry Page, his death, and the marriage of Elizabeth Page (widow) to John Balding. All the dates work except for Henry's age.
(2) I've checked the FS image and it does say 22.
(3) Balding is a variant of Baldwin.
(4) There are two Hempnall burials for Elizabeth Baldwin; neither rules out a marriage in 1776.

Thanks again, and to others too who contributed.

[Ruskie]

That explains your reasoning. Thanks. 

I'm not sure of the origins of the surnames Baldwin and Balding, and I know that this is a lot later than your Baldwin/Baldings, and it is just a rough guide but you may find this interesting:
http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/Surnames.aspx
I don't know if there is a known single origin of the surnames, but as they are similar there are likely to be errors and the names perhaps used interchangeably especially the further back you go.

You may be left with having to look at the other possible Henry Pages in the area at the time and consider the likelihood of one of them marrying Elizabeth Page in 1776.

Do you know the age of Elizabeth at death? Does it fit in with her marrying a 14 year old boy in 1776?

Given that Henry's age is 22 when he died, have you located a likely birth or baptism for this Henry? I know you have already considered a possible error in the recording of his age at death, but have you checked for births for an earlier Henry Page, in case for example the age should be 32 instead of 22?

Did Henry and Elizabeth have any children and if so do you know when?