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From: "Yvonne Purdy" <>
Subject: 15 & 16C Statistics
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:46:24 +0100


>>On Sunday, 18 June 2006, Don Tomkinson wrote:

I'd be grateful if someone could give me the statistics for average
ages of marriage and life expectancy in the 15th. and 16th. centuries.<<

Hi Don,

Not specific statistics, but I've just been browsing the a2a archives and
noted the following divorce suits.

I've copied out just a tiny sample which are dated 1560, 1561 and 1562. I
don't know if Cheshire was an anomaly, but the divorce suits seem to bear
out, in the Cheshire area, that marriage was allowed at a very young age
and, what surprised me more, was that divorce seemed to be more generally
available than I'd previously thought.

Consistory Court
Catalogue Ref. EDC
Creator(s):
Church of England, Cheshire Diocese, Consistory Court
EDC 5

CONSISTORY COURT PAPERS

1560
4. Thomas Mollyneux c Elizabeth Butler alias Molyneux Thomas was six and
Elizabeth 8 years of age at the time of their marriage - libel.

1561
5. GREAT BUDWORTH Elizabeth Banks alias Houlse c George Houlse in a divorce
suit. She was aged 13 and he was 10 at the time of the marriage and they
were married in Knutsford church and Elizabeth came from Middlewich parish -
fragment of libel and decree.
6. MARBURY William Poole c Elizabeth Tilston alias Pole in a divorce suit.
Both were under 11 years of age at the time of their marriage - decree.
8. PRESCOT Simon Garnett c Katharine Ecclesonne alias Garnet in a divorce
suit. He was 11 years of age at the time of the marriage and Katharine was
12 years of age - decree.
10. LEIGH Adam Pilkington c Isabel Birom alias Pilkington of Salford in a
divorce suit. Adam was 5 and Isabel was 6 years of age at the time of the
marriage - sentence.
11. WILMSLOW Elizabeth Ryle alias Royleye c Robert Ryle in a divorce suit.
Elizabeth was under 12 years of age and Robert was aged 17 at the time of
the marriage - decree.

1562
1. BLACKBURN Peter Haworth c Margerie Haworth alias Haddock in a divorce
suit, both parties were minors, Peter was -- and Margerie not yet 12 years
of age at the time of the marriage - libel, decree.
2. BLACKBURN Grace Boyse alias Talbot c Robert Talbot in a divorce suit.
Grace was a minor - sentence definitive.
3. PRESTBURY Ellen Damport alias Andrew c John Andrew in a divorce suit.
Both were minors aged seven years -sentence.

Regards, Yvonne




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