From: charlesellson@btinternet.com
On Fri, 26 Sep 2025 21:01:10 +0100, Charles Ellson
wrote:
>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"
>
"of x years and less than y years"
> or similar.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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