Never ask a lady her age...

[Davedrave]

Having been driven half crazy over the years trying to get to the bottom of the marriage of Richard Heath of Clifton Campville, Staffs. and Ann Lea “of this parish”, I seem at last to have found the truth. The puzzling thing was that she seemed to be considerably older than him, as far as I could see.

I have now tracked down the marriage allegation, thanks to the wonders of the internet. He was 22. She was “31 or thereabouts”. Keep this to yourselves, but she was baptised in Shenton, Leics. in 1682. What a useful word “thereabouts” can be

Perhaps not surprisingly, she seems to have had no offspring. This was a pretty odd family: her brother Francis, baptised 1685/6, was a batchelor ‘til the age of about 58, when he clearly went mad, married, and fathered 6 children, the last not long before he died in 1759.

[goldie61]

Can you give us the year of the marriage Dave, then we can work out how near '31 or thereabouts' she was?  (bit difficult to work our from what you have posted).

[Rosinish]

  Definitely a 'record breaker' & wishing I could have a 'record breaker' in my tree as there's nothing else getting overwhelmingly excited about so far!

Add...At least 'thereabouts' is kind of unique from the usual 'circa/ca/abt' etc 

Annie

[Davedrave]

Can you give us the year of the marriage Dave, then we can work out how near '31 or thereabouts' she was?  (bit difficult to work our from what you have posted).

Sorry, too much wine at lunchtime! It was in Lichfield Cathedral in 1724

[goldie61]

Gosh! I make it she was nearly 41 years old then instead of 31!
Some 'thereabouts' as you say! 

I wonder if poor hubby wondered why they never had any children?
Was he a man of means?
What do they call that these days? - an older woman and a younger man?
The term 'cougar' comes to mind!   

[whiteout7]

Perhaps Ann Lea had a lovely fat dowery? And the young man was after it.

[Davedrave]

Perhaps Ann Lea had a lovely fat dowery? And the young man was after it.

They were both of the yeoman class and Ann’s younger brother Francis got most of the property. Ann actually outlived Richard by four years. Maybe she was just very well-preserved for her age

[goldie61]

 Maybe she was just very well-preserved for her age

 
We should all be so lucky!

[Maiden Stone]

"31 or thereabouts" is an ideal age for a woman  - mature but not middle-aged. I was "thereabouts" for several years.
A father and son in one of my lines each married in mid 20s to spouses a decade older. One was a widow. Both wives outlived their husbands.

As Ann's brother was aged around 40 and unmarried at the time of her marriage perhaps Richard had hopes of his potential children inheriting.