Married at Fifty (Now Completed)

[Ewan]

Does anyone have experience in their family history of a bride marrying at 50, the groom being 40 (the fact that the bride was 50 and not the age gap)?  I ask this because I have found what is the possibility of the marriage of a live in partner of my great granddad whose death was in 1910 and this marriage in 1916 to another man.  I have not sent for this marriage certificate as yet as I am still debating whether it is the correct lady or not.

Any experiences welcomed with thanks.

Ewan

[Sloe Gin]

Yes.  I have a GG grandmother who married her second husband when she was 53 and he was 39.  She gives her age as 49 on the certificate. 

[corinne]

Yes, quite a few examples of that - sometimes with one partner giving the wrong age for the certificate (I don't think there has ever been a requirement to "prove" your age at marriage) to make the age gap look less.

[carol8353]

Hi Ewan

Particularly common where one of them had been married before,and was just waiting for the original spouse to 'pop off' as it were 

Carol

[Ewan]

Thanks everyone for your experiences, I have wondered what happened to the live in partner after the death of my great granddad, but obviously after 1911 there is not much to go on.  I didn't really think of a marriage but there was one that appeared in records online and it did make me question it, just wasn't sure about the age bit.

Thanks again.
Ewan

[Sloe Gin]

Particularly common where one of them had been married before,and was just waiting for the original spouse to 'pop off' as it were 

Er, well in my example I don't think he had actually fallen off the perch  because he turns up again in a couple of later records.  Whether she knew, or genuinely believed him to be dead, is something we may never know for sure.  Oddly she is described on the second marriage cert as a spinster although she married in her first husband's surname, and it clearly doesn't match her father's name which is correct as given.

All of which is another example that certificates don't always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!  So if you decide to get this MC, Ewan, keep an open mind.

[sillgen]

Have you checked to see if there are any children born to the marriage in 1916?  Freebmd may show some possibles which might disprove your theory.  Only the certificate will give positive proof though.
Andrea

[pinefamily]

If you are referring to a bride marrying for the first time, then I have one. My grandfather's first cousin married for the first time at the age of 73. Don't know what that was about.....

[corinne]

Pinefamily - one of my greataunts had a similar story.  Married early 20's and widowed a few years later with a young child.  Then she didn't remarry until she was 82!   I believe it was also about companionship and common sense - they were very good friends, and there was no good reason for two elderly people to keep up two big houses between them.