[LMB] Age at first marriage

[Azalais Aranxta]

On Fri, 4 Apr 2008, Adam Ek wrote:

> On Apr 4, 2008, at 1:51 PM, Mark Allums wrote:
> > I am told that there was a frontier-era saying that the ideal ages for
> > bride and groom were thus:  The bride should be half the groom's age,
> > plus seven years.
>
> I first read that in The Number of the Beast, but the character
> attributed it to Little Women.

So if a boy marries at 14 (legal in some places) his bride is the
same age as him, but at 16, she's 15, at 18, she's 16, at 20,
she's 17, at 22, she's 18, at 24, she's 19, at 26, 20, at 28, 21,
at 30, 22...?

But very few of the stories I've heard involving 14 year old
brides involved boys under 20.

Of course it means also that at 43, I'd have to marry a man who
is 72 @@;;;  no thanks!

This strikes me as a rule more often honoured in the breach.
Either that or a rule that assumes bridegrooms are no younger
than 18 and no older than 34, at which one gets a 24 year old
bride.

~malfoy, imagining some 40 year old in 1890 being censured for
marrying someone under 27, and successfully rolling to
disbelieve...if he had money she'd have been considered wise to
accept him.

****************************************************************
Azalais Aranxta (~malfoy)
ataniell93 on LiveJournal and Vox
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/malfoymadness

"I know the true world, and you know I do. But we needn't let it
think we all bow down." --Christopher Fry