Genealogy Chat

Please could one of you very knowing people tell me what the minimum age for marriage was in 1837. I have just received a marriage certificate dated December 1837 (yes, lucky wasn't I) but the age for both parties just says FULL AGE. I guess that means they were above the age of consent but it would be nice to know what age that was - can anyone help me please.

At that date the age of consent was 21, so if it says full age they should have been 21 or more. I say ''should have been'' because people did lie! With consent from the parent, girls could marry at 12 and boys at 14, but I think this was very rare indeed. I don't have any bride's or grooms on my tree under 16 years. merry

Thanks Merry.

I have a couple of marriages in 1838/39 and the brides are both younger than 21.The marriages require a special 'licence',which were logged in the parish records,basically the church were verifying the consent of the father to allow the marriage. Glen

From the Useful Dates thread: 1929 - It became illegal for anyone under 16 to marry. Previously, girls could marry at 12 and boys at 14, although they needed parental consent until they were 21 Just to confuse matters, occasionally the bride and/or groom claimed to be of full age when they weren't. This meant they didn't need parental permission. Nobody checked it, so what they said went on the certificate! My youngest marriage so far: the bride claimed to be 19 but was actually 15yrs 2months (both parents had died in the preceding 6 months) Lx

Funnily enough I have just today received photocopies of some marriages of Brits in India in the 19th c, Against every one of the grooms it say 'Of full age' And against every bride it says 'Underage' Startled me for a moment.