One of my ancestors married in 1838 and was described as being of "full age" and his bride as being a "minor". The most likely baptism record I've found is for 1819, which would have made him 19 years on his marriage. Does anyone know the definition of "full age" in 1838?
Hello Phil
"Full age" means aged 21 years or over but there is no limit to how much over.
A "Minor" is someone under the age of 21 years and therefore would need the permission of a parent (normally the father) to be married.
Your problem is that if the groom did not know his true age or chose to adjust it upwards a couple of years to avoid the need for parental consent then the 1819 baptism may be the correct one. Don't forget the baptism may have taken place some time after the birth so both could actually be correct but you will probably never know for sure unless the baptism entry actually includes the date of birth which some do if there has been a gap between birth and baptism.
Mike
Mike, Hazel,
Many thanks for your prompt replies. I think I'm going to have a nagging doubt on whether I've got the right ancestor : Richard Howard was a fairly common name in Liverpool in early 1800's.
Regards
Phil
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Hello Phil, I Googles your query & came up with the following.
www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-live...
Hope this helps. Hazel