Why would ages be off on records?

[Berlin-Bob]

Also men.....and women,used to tweak their age a little if their spouse was a lot older or younger than them,so as not to appear to be too different in age.

... and the other "big" reason: if you were working, you either "upped" your age, so that people wouldn't think you were too young for the job, or you "downed" it so people wouldn't think you were too old for the job. An important reason when there no pensions !

And as Sinan says, the informants on the death certs. could have been anybody, and they may not have known the age, or just known what others had told them.

regards,
Bob

[Guy Etchells]

Age was not normally of any importance to them so why remember it.

Even today people like me need to calculate how old we are when asked, I never remember.

Cheers
Guy

[groom]

My grandmother went through her whole life telling everyone that she was a year younger than she actually was. It was only by chance that her birth certificate was discovered before her death was registered that we found out. I think it may have been to cover up the fact she was born 2 months after her parents married. She died when she was 98 and I've often wondered what would have happened if she'd reached 100, whether she would have admitted it!

[Sinann]

Birth Certs are also often incorrect, lots of mine were baptised before the birth date on their cert. Living in the countryside they probably didn't register the birth until next time they were in town and got the date wrong or were so late they were avoiding a fine.

[gmichaelking]

Hi,

In all, 7 of the 10 children of Alexander Stewart and Mary Morrison were born 2 years before the year given in the 1881 Census

Children 2 through 8's ages are all off by 2 years. 

Children 1, 9 & 10 are spot on though 

#stumped

Thanks for your help everyone

[Sinann]

I'm not well up on UK census but I believe some of them have the ages rounded to the nearest 5.
I'm sure someone who knows better will have the answer.

[carol8353]

I'm not well up on UK census but I believe some of them have the ages rounded to the nearest 5.
I'm sure someone who knows better will have the answer.

That is only applicable to the 1841 census.

I think in Michael's case it is more likely that the parents were not good with their kids ages 

[groom]

I'm not well up on UK census but I believe some of them have the ages rounded to the nearest 5.
I'm sure someone who knows better will have the answer.

In the 1841 census, the age of persons over 15 was supposed to be rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5.

[Erato]

Also men.....and women,used to tweak their age a little if their spouse was a lot older or younger than them,so as not to appear to be too different in age.

I have one who 'tweaked' off 19 years on the 1940 census.  Maybe she was very young looking.