MARRIED AT FIFTEEN

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1712, 15 May 1917, Page 4

MARRIED AT FIFTEEN

ANNULMENT ASKED FOR

It is perhaps not generally known under the British law that a hoy of 14 years may legally contract a marriage, as may a girl of 12. Ignorance of the law on this point was the cause of an application made by a woman to the magistrate in London lately. The woman told the magistrate that her son, only 15 in January, was married on Janr uary 1 last to a girl of 17. The marriage, which was celebrated at the registrar’s office, had been arranged by the parents of the girl, and taken place without applicant’s knowledge or consent. Applicant wanted to know what she could do towards artnuling the marriage. The boy had a milk round and earned eight shillings a week, so “he cannot keep himself yet, let alone a wife.” Her son had given his age as 17 at the registrar’s.

The Magistrate: What is it you want me to do? I cannot annul the marriage. Applicant; I want my boy home again. The Magistrate: I cannot order him to leave his wife. They are legally married, and must do the best they can. By the common law persons may marry at any age. If they do so under the age of consent either party, when the age of consent has been reached, can elect to have the ceremony declared void. Although by common law the marriage of infants who had reached the age of consent was valid without the consent of parents or guardians, the passing of Lord Hardwicke’s Act hi 1753 made that consent necessary. It did not, however, invali - date the marriage if it- was not obtained. • The legal penalty for the offence of marrying without the consent of a parent or guardian is the forfeiture of any-estate that might accrue from the marriage. Even the provisions of the Criminal Law Amendment Act do not alter in any way the common law age of consent to marry.