Attitude to marriage 1800s

[Jock McTartan]

Hi!

Does anyone know what the attitude to a younger man marrying an older female was in England late 1800's? Was this frowned upon?

I have a marriage certificate which in everyway matches in with all other details for the male in question apart from his age is given as 23 when he would have been 18 (Census, birth cert etc evidences this). It was witnessed by parents so it's not that he didn't have permission to marry and was faking it.

One thing that came to mind, his bride (age etc all matches with what I have) is 22, he would be 18, it's marked down as 23 - would this be to seemingly marry as older than the bride or would this not have been an issue in 1889 England?

Hope that makes sense!

Thanks

[ShaunJ]

Perhaps he didn't want his wife to know that he was so much younger than her.

[Jebber]

It was not unusual for one or other of the couple to adjust their ages when there was an age difference.  Sometimes there can be a huge age difference between the couple, what  you have is a small difference and quite understandable groom upped his age.

[coombs]

My great gran wed a man 2 years her junior. All census and birth and death records confirm this. She deducted 2 years off her age when she married my great grandfather. As they never had to provide proof of birth for an early 1900s marriage, the registrar would be none the wiser.

[Jock McTartan]

Many thanks everyone! Stops the wee niggle got the wrong certificate! 

[Top-of-the-hill]

  My gr gr grandfather married a woman 7 years his senior. It was a village wedding, so everyone would have known! Too early for ages on the marriage record, but the 1851 census shows the age gap. (First child baptised 2 months later.)

[coombs]

It was quite common actually. I have someone born in 1752 who wed a woman born in 1740. They wed in 1775 and she died in 1780 after having 3 children. So she would have been 40 when she died and him 28.