DAVIES/EVANS Marriage....at 14?????

[ambers]

I have Census for 1861..... Cadoxtan Neath
RG 9/4092.....Susannah and David Evans are already married at 23 and 21 years of age.

But checking the Indexes, the only Marriage at Neath between 1851 and 1861 (which is where both were born and lived in the previous and following Census years)......... is in 1854, 1st qtr, 11a 516

But they would have been 14 and 16 years old.....was that possible in those times or do you think I have missed something?

Can anybody help.

Regards Jay

[behindthefrogs]

Until 1926 the legal age to get married with parents permission was 12 for a woman and 14 for a man.  Permission was required until they were 21.  The age of 21 was reduced to 18 in 1967 I think.

David

[ambers]

Behindthefrogs.........

Thank you for that information, I am a bit taken back by it though     because their  first child was born when she was thirty.

I thought I had the wrong couple when I saw those ages.......the rest of the clan appear to have married in their early thirties.

Regards Jay

[Gadget]

Hi Ambers

I think David was saying that it was possible to be married at that age not that it was definitely the case. I think it was very rare.

What indexes have you used. I had a quick check on the Free BMD and found a few David Evans (unsurprisingly)  marrying in Neath at various times in the late 1850s - the index wasn't complete though as only three names had been entered for the particular ref. Do you have Susannah's maiden name. Sorry just noticed it as Davies.  I'd double check if I were you or, if you send for the certificate, ask them to do a check.

Another thought - could their ages be wrong on the census - have you got birth details?

Gadget

[ambers]

Hi Gadget.

I was worried that it was another couple too....I have all the Census details frm 1861 to 1891, their ages all follow through correctely and all the rellies ages  do.

From Census:

David Evans born in Cadoxton... Neath Abbey 1838
Susannah Davies......Cadoxton...Neath Abbey 1840   

I checked Ancestory for the Marriages, and her Birth which now I look again says Registration 1941......maybe thats where I have missed something.

I did see all the David Evans's for Neath but they didn't fit in.

I will check again,  I am waiting for other certificates at the moment and trying to get other family members in order for when they arrive.
 

[Gadget]

Do you have them in 1841 and 1851?

[ambers]

Haven't got that far yet.

Because it was going so good with Census years, I decided to tie up all the marriages when this came up.

Jay

[Gadget]

Just seems strange that she didn't have a known child until she was 30. Maybe she had lots of miscarriages or something.
I still can't think that they married when he was 14 though. Could they have married outside of Neath? I have some ancestors/relatives who married in neighbouring parishes for various reasons.
What was his occupation? I'll go and have a look and a ponder. They interest me 

Gadget

[Gadget]

Hi

I've found Susannah  and her brothers in 1851: HO 107/2463/308 Page 13. Parents were originally from Carmarthenshire. She is down as aged 10, so if she was born around April 1840 (cf 1861 census, aged 21), she could have been 15 in 1854 and David would have been 2 years older - 17. That seems  possible then.

Gadget

* my arithmetic is strange tonight  so it's still 14 and 16