Legal marriage age

For as long as I can remember the legal age to marry without parents' consent has been 18 in England, although with consent it has been 16, presumably to ensure that pregnant brides could 'legitimise' their babies.

It was increased to 18 because of forced marriages

Yes, that’s right karmalady

I did find it amusing that just before I was 18, married with a baby that my father had to give permission for a minor operation

No, Tizliz there wasn’t any discussion as far as I know.
It was news to me too this morning.
I was quite surprised tbh

I read fairly recently that this was to become law but I didn’t know it was so soon.

Will we see young couples fleeing north of the border again to marry in Scotland?

Tizliz I wondered about pregnant teenagers, if they want their baby to be born within marriage. In some communities such as Travellers and some religious groups, marriage and motherhood at 16 isn’t uncommon.

In my childhood the legal age for marrying and for marrying without parental consent was 16 in Scotland, and a girl who was pregnant at 15 could apply for and receive permission to marry before her 16th birthday.

In England you had to be 21 to marry without parental consent, and I have no idea, at what age you could legally marry with parental consent, but I think it was higher than 16, hence the popularity for eloping to Scotland to marry, which had a brief resurgence in the 1960s.

In Denmark, until the mid-1970s a girl could marry with parental consent at 18, whereas a young man had to be 21 whether his parents approved of his engagement or not.

Both could receive official permission to marry at slightly younger ages if a child was on the way.

Practically every country in Europe had different ages for marriage, consent to sex and for when you could be tried as an adult if you committed a legal offence.

Nowadays, most if not all, countries in Europe regard 18 as the age of legal majority, but I suspect whether you can or cannot legally marry below that age, or the age of consent is a legal minefield.

Those of you who have grandsons would be well advised to point out to them that the age of consent differs widely within Europe and between American states to this day, so if they go travelling they should not just assume that if it is legal at 15 at home, it is also legal elsewhere. Male homosexuality still has a later age of consent in certain countries than heterosexual relations do.

In Denmark it is now a crime to have sex with a person who has not clearly stated verbally that she is willing. How one proves this, beats me, as there are unlikely to have been witnesses present when the parties decided to go to bed together.

I was married at age 18 in 1973 and didn't need parental consent because I was legally an adult. You used to be able to get married (in England) at age 16 with parental consent but prior to 1970 you needed parental consent if you were under 21; the age of majority being lowered to 18 in 1970. I believe that in Scotland you could get married at age 16 without parental consent provided you met certain residential conditions - which was why Gretna Green weddings became popular.

Going back to my A-level history studies of the early 1970's, I believe the age of consent (by which you could legally get married (with parental permission) was only raised from 13 to 16 in Victorian times.

I wasn't aware that the legal minimum age for getting married had now been raised to 18; does this mean that having sex before age 18 is also now illegal, or is the minimum age for that still set at 16?

One of the first weddings we photographed when we started our business was a young couple who left school on the friday and got married on the Saturday they were both 16 ...and no she wasn't pregnant and yes they are still together 47 years on.We often meet them in the town and they still look as happy as they did back then

That is SO lovely paddyann54

It’s only the minimum age for marriage which has changed (just today). The age of consent hasn’t changed.

paddyann54

One of the first weddings we photographed when we started our business was a young couple who left school on the friday and got married on the Saturday they were both 16 ...and no she wasn't pregnant and yes they are still together 47 years on.We often meet them in the town and they still look as happy as they did back then

Lovely.

Quite similar to my husband and me. He's a little older than me, had been out of school - working for 2 years. I finished school at 16, married the next day, our first baby arrived a year later. Over 62 years ago.

I think it's good news.
Will protect some from coercion until they are legally adults.

I wonder if young couples will still marry in Gretna Green?

Yes, about time - when you're legally a child and have to be in some kind of education or training until 18 - it seems ridiculous to marry earlier.

Norah

I wonder if young couples will still marry in Gretna Green?

My father did offer Mr T a ladder 😁 I am one of four girls

Norah

I wonder if young couples will still marry in Gretna Green?

My son got married there, and there is a thriving wedding industry 😀. It was a wonderful weekend - we had great weather, the venue and accommodation were fantastic and the officials made it feel like we were the only ones getting married that day, when I think they were doing a wedding every half hour. Even the other guests in the hotel were all in good moods and dressed in their finest, although there were a few who looked a bit green around the gills at breakfast . I can’t see that dying out, whatever happens to the minimum age to get married.

I understand this is to try to prevent forced marriage. Mind you, I don’t know how anyone can do anything to stop a family going abroad for a holiday and forcing the marriage there in a different country.

I got married at 18 in 1968 and had to have parental consent. (I wasn’t pregnant).

I wonder how many got pregnant to bypass the parental consent (or waiting to be 21)?

maddyone

I understand this is to try to prevent forced marriage. Mind you, I don’t know how anyone can do anything to stop a family going abroad for a holiday and forcing the marriage there in a different country.

make sure all youngsters know about the teaspoon alarm, at least.

karmanirvana.org.uk/get-involved/donate/a-spoonful-of-hope/

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/09/metal-spoon-alert-authorities-honour-based-abuse-leeds

I'm so happy for this

Children need time to be children and teens need time to be teens, why rush them to grow up. Especially when they have to be in education until 18 and you can still claim child benefit until after that point.

Boys are still physically growing at that point.

Plus they don't hit all their phases of development at the same time

Good news

There was information about this change for sometime. When the Act of Parliament was passed and since.

I have known about this legislation for at least a year and thought it came into law on 1 January.

I suspect lack of interest rather than anything else meant it wasn't headline news.

The number of 16 year olds getting married voluntarily under the age of 16 now must be vanishingly small. I know forced marriages, which are already illegal at any age, are a separate matter.In the past, while some very young marriages were very successful, the majority were not.