From: charlesellson@btinternet.com   
      
   On Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:10:12 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver"   
    wrote:   
      
   >On 2025/9/25 12:47:25, Jenny M Benson wrote:   
   >> On 25/09/2025 11:30, J. P. Gilliver wrote:   
   >>> The preprinted forms for marriage bonds and allegations have this text:   
   >>>   
   >>> .. made oath as follows (to wit) That he is of the age of [	] Years and   
   >>> upwards, and a [	] and intends to marry [	] of the Parish of [	] in the   
   >>> County of [	] and Diocese of [		] aged [	] Years and upwards ...   
   >>>   
   >>> (or variations thereon). [The second box might be filled in with e. g.   
   >>> Bachelor, Widower; the long one with name of diocese Spinster. They   
   >>> aren't really boxes, just gaps.]   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> Can anyone explain the "Years and upwards" wording?   
   >>   
   >> Isn't is just another way of saying "at least n years old"?   
   >>   
   >Yes, but why say "at least 23" (for example)? If the person is unsure of   
   >his (or her) age, and just wants to swear he (or she) is over the age of   
   >majority, say 21 (and I've seen enough who do say that when it isn't   
   >true!), but if he knows, why the "and upwards"?   
   >   
   The simple description of "x years" only applies for one year. The   
   general legal requirements concerning age deal with being at least or   
   no more than x years old thus the verbose wording which in this case   
   dealt with a person who had reached their twenty-first birhday which   
   qualified them to marry without general hindrance from that day   
   onward. The form would also have allowed the age of a minor to be   
   entered; in some cases (not limited to marriage) that could expand to   
   e.g. "of x years or and less than y years" or similar.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)