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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Cheshire Lookup Requests => Cheshire => England => Cheshire Completed Lookup Requests => Topic started by: Pughy on Wednesday 29 November 06 19:04 GMT (UK)
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Can anybody help I have a Marriage Certificate from 1839 it has the Grooms age as " of full age"
The Brides age as under age.
What does the term of full age represent in terms of years.
What does the term under age actually mean.If she was under age how is it she married, or would it mean only with parental permission?
Regards
Pughy
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full age is 21 and over
under age means under 21 and has to have parental consent.
Of course - sometimes the truth wasn't told!
Suz
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at that time 12 was the absolute minimum age for females to marry - otherwise, wot Suzard said
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Hello Pughy,
I researched this for someone a while back and made notes. Will dig through my files to find them and get back to you!
No doubt you will get more contributions shortly.
AK
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Hello again,
Oops! I remember lokking this up at some length c18 months ago but a quick look last night couldn't produce my notes! Will try again over the weekend.
From memory, in 1839 a female could marry at 12 years of age. This was raised to 14, then 16 in later years. The question of being "of full age" is another matter and I think "full age" has been 21 years up to the 1970s when it was reduced to 18.
A female stated as under age would have been under 21 and therefore, in need of parental permission to marry.
AK
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From time immemorial the age for matrimonial consent was fixed at 7 years, but puberty was accepted as the age for consummation of the marriage, which was 12 for girls and 14 for boys.
Canon 100 of 1603 forbade, but did not invalidate marriage of persons under 21, except with parental consent.
The legal age for marriage from 29 September 1653 was fixed at 16 for a man and 14 for a woman. In 1660 the pre-interregnum laws were reinstated and the ages of marriage reverted to 14 for the groom and 12 for the bride.
Lord Hardwicke's 1753 Marriage Act, made it illegal for those in England under the age of 21 to get married without the consent of their parents or guardians. The consent requirement was repealed and replaced in July 1822, and an act in July1823 restored the pre-1753 rule of Canon 100.
In effect, therefore, from 1823 the age at which a couple could undergo a valid marriage, even without parental consent, reverted to 14 for boys and 12 for girls; although some marriages of younger children still took place.
The 1929 Age of Marriage Act made all marriages void from 10 May 1929, if either partner was under the age of 16.
The legal age for marriage remained at 14 for boys and 12 for girls in the Republic of Ireland, until 1st January 1975, when it was raised to 16.
This is from 'Marriage Laws, Rites, Records & Customs' by Colin R Chapman,
well worth buying.