1754 Marriage Law Act - requirement to be 21

Rob Bowers shared an article about the 1754 Marriage Law Act in England. The history of the marriage laws help give a better perspective for research during this time period. Thanks for sharing the article!

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28679430

Points of interest directly from the article:

In 1754, an English law stopped couples under 21 marrying without their parents' permission. But in Scotland it was permitted for girls from the age of 12, and for boys aged 14 or older. Moreover, anyone in Scotland could marry a couple by "declaration".

In 1940 the institution of "marriage by declaration" was outlawed in Scotland and in 1977 English couples could finally get married without parental consent at 18.

Weddings and the law

• 1754: Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act introduces a minimum marital age of 21 without parental consent in England but the law does not apply in Scotland
• 1856: Lord Brougham's Act, sometimes known as "the cooling-off act" stipulates a three-week residency in Scotland prior to the marriage for at least one half of a marrying couple for the marriage to be legal
• 1929: Minimum age for marriage throughout Britain is set at 16, but in England parental consent is still required under 21 and not in Scotland
• 1940: Marriage by declaration - where anyone could perform a ceremony - is outlawed in Scotland. Weddings can only occur in either a church or registry office but informal blessings "over the anvil" become a popular complement
• 1977: The marriage age in England without parental consent drops to 18, Lord Brougham's Act is repealed and religious weddings can happen outside a Scottish church
• 2002: In Scotland civil weddings are allowed outside a registry office in "approved" premises