Cousin Marriage

[LMChapman]

I'm looking at a marriage certificate from Fife in 1875. It is noted on the record that the couple are cousins. My two questions for anyone more informed about this sort of thing:
1. Does this indicate specifically FIRST cousins, or could they be slightly more distantly related?
2. How common was it for cousins to marry in late-Victorian Scotland?
Thanks.

[KGarrad]

1. Often referred to as Cousins German.
2. Quite common - just look at the Royal Family!

[GrahamSimons]

Not uncommon. And in small rural communities there might have been little alternative!

Makes drawing a family tree quite challenging.....

[hdw]

It refers to first cousins. Second cousin marriage was so common, especially in the Fife fishing communities, that it wasn't commented on. I believe the older generation used to refer to second cousins as "cousins' bairns".

It's often useful to the genealogist to be told that a married couple were cousins, especially in a small community with only a few surnames.

Where I come from, a lot of people have detailed family trees and will tell you gleefully that they are descended twice or three times from the same individual, such was the prevalence of cousin marriages. I'm descended twice from a couple called Thomas Watson and Ann Craigie who were married in 1715, through their sons David and William. Moreover, I know where Thomas and Ann lived and it was only a few minutes' walk from the house I was brought up in.

My avatars are my great-grandparents James Murray Watson and Margaret Watson, distant cousins who were descended respectively from David Watson and William Watson.

Harry

[CG07]

I have a branch from my tree from Caithness, a lot of them married their cousins, I have direct descendants who’s marriage certificate state they were both first and second cousins. I think that would make their parent’s cousins as well? I’ve not been able to confirm that though!

[Forfarian]

I have a branch from my tree from Caithness, a lot of them married their cousins, I have direct descendants who’s marriage certificate state they were both first and second cousins. I think that would make their parent’s cousins as well?

Yes, it would.

Second cousins are the children of first cousins.

I have one line in which there were lots of cousin marriages, including one marriage of first cousins once removed, so my great-great-great-grandparents are also my great-great-great-great-grandparents.

[medpat]

Children of first cousins are first cousins once removed not second cousins.

First cousins and first cousins once removed meet at the first cousins grandparents.

Second cousins meet at great grandparents.

Third cousins meet at great great grandparents. etc.

[Forfarian]

Children of first cousins are first cousins once removed not second cousins.

No, that is incorrect.

Children of first cousins are second cousins
Children of second cousins are third cousins
Children of third cousins are fourth cousins
and so on

'Removed' indicates that the two people referred to belong to different generations.
'Once removed' indicates that they are one generation different
'Twice removed' indicates that they are two generations removed
and so on.

If you are not 'removed' then you always belong to the same generation.

The child of your first cousin (same generation) is your first cousin once removed.
The grandchild of your first cousin is your first cousin twice removed

See https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/cousin-chart/ which sets it all out very clearly.

[medpat]

The chart states the child of your first cousin is your 1st cousin once removed which is what I'd put in the post earlier.

The child of your 1st cousin once removed is your 2nd cousin.