Why didn't they get married sooner?

[Annie65115]

On Feb 13 1851, Augustin Upton married Frances Marshall in Desford, Leicestershire.

Frances was pregnant - nothing unusual about that - but had already had 2 children:

1.Robert Henry Marshall b 1849 Leicester, d Jan 1850 Desford - father unknown
2.Augusta Upton Marshall b July 1850, Desford - no father named on the birth cert but it seems fairly clear, given her name, who was dad!

So why didn't Frances and Augustin marry sooner and prevent Augusta's illegitimacy? Neither was married previously. Augustin was an apprentice in 1841 so would have finished his apprenticeship by 1850.

Frances was 21 when they married so I suppose parental consent to marry may have been missing earlier - but would parents have preferred her to have had an illegitimate child rather than to marry? And plenty of other people simply lied about their age to marry! Frances was present at her father's death in 1754 soI presume they hadn't fallen out over her marraige!

Can anyone think of any other likely reasons for delaying the marraige until 7 months after a birth?

[patrish]

Was Augustin  in an apprenticed occupation  some apprenticships lasted several years and I dont think they were allowed to marry until the term had finished as they were "bound" to a master

[Rah1980]

I thought the full apprenticeship lasted 7 years and usually started at 14, I don't know about not getting married though. I would say that just because she named the child after hubby to be does not mean it was his especially as he wasn't named on cert, he might have been a good friend at the time and only after did they become involved. If you get chance I would check the children's baptism record to try to find out for sure.

[DudleyWinchurch]

My ancestor's (Irish) apprenticeship indentures contain the sentence

  "He shall not commit Fornication, or contract Matrimony, within the said Term."

among many other constraints listed.

[patrish]

I think 14 years old was the norm but some started later as I have seen some of the records for Watermen and Lightermen at the Guildhall Library in London.

I also noted  some never completed theirs , maybe for that reason 

[Sloe Gin]

There's all sorts of possibilities really.  He was working away, he was ill, she was ill, he didn't really want to marry her and had to be persuaded (or vice versa!), they had a fall-out and a reconciliation, someone in the family didn't approve, the apprenticeship complication as mentioned.

just because she named the child after hubby to be does not mean it was his especially as he wasn't named on cert, he might have been a good friend at the time

Sorry, but that made me    What a thing to do to a 'good friend'!  Even now, here we all are saying 'he's the daddy!' 

[Colin Cruddace]

Interesting topic 

From what I have been able to find, an apprenticeship was for 7 years, or until age 21 if later!

An apprentice was basically working for his keep, so any money would have to come from 'moonlighting', but it would all be above board. On completion, he would have to do a few years as a Journeyman and then might start up his own business.

Until he had a regular income he might not have been able to take on a family, and I suspect that Augustin wanted to become established in his trade before taking on the burden of a family, and it was with the approval and support of Frances' family.

Regards,
Colin

[Rah1980]

I actually meant if he was a good friend, if you wanted to flatter somebody, what better way than to name your child afert somebody, or perhaps they started courting when she was three months in she wanted to there to be a beyond between him and the baby, or what if he helped her in some way to deliver the baby and that is how they met, it could also just be a coincidence or it could be that the child was his, my point was don'y assume anything until you have proof.

[DudleyWinchurch]

What denomination was the church where they married?

According to IGI (extracted) Augusta seems to have been baptised after the marriage as Augusta Marshall Upton (unless this was another child of theirs).