Woman's firtility 1780 - 1790

[mikehardy]

Difficult subject for a bloke to comment - here goes!!

I have an ancestor who gave birth to 5 children between her age 40 - 50 if my research is to be creditable! Also it transpires that the couple were married 17 years before the first child arrived! same research.

I am beginning to doubt my research - what do you think.

Mike.

[alpinecottage]

Most unlikely to have had five children between ages of 40 and 50.

Even more unlikely to have been married 17 years before birth of first child.

Back to the drawing board, if it was me!

[IgorStrav]

Are you sure there weren't a series of children who died, or miscarriages, ahead of these possible births?

[Mike in Cumbria]

Maybe after 17 years they took in a lodger...

[alpinecottage]

Difficult subject for a bloke to comment - here goes!!

Why? - It takes two to tango, Mike       

[bykerlads]

It's perfectly possible to produce 5 children in 10 years, though by age 40 fertility is supposed to be waning. In fact the 2 year gap between babies was exactly the norm at the time.
Some possible explanations:
- husband infertile but another man fathered the children( the Lodger scenario)
- babies not the couples' but adopted from family members/neighbours
- a series of babies  in the early years of the marriage all died/miscarried due to one partner having a disease which eventually was cured.

[Annie65115]

Do you have the birthdates of these children, or the baptism dates?

Remember that whilst most children were baptised within a few hours, days or weeks max of birth, some families were more casual about this and some people were baptised as adults.

[murphy60]

Any idea what the husband's occupation was ?  Would it have kept them apart for 17 years ?  Or, is it possible he was in prison ?

[mikehardy]

Thank you,  Interesting response, the details re my dilemma are fully covered in my post 'Isaac Hardy - Anne Everett' Norfolk lookup board, and could not get any response to my particular query.

The children in Question - all born and baptized within a month:  Mary Ann 1873,  John 1875, James 1789, and Frances 1791.

I cannot find a plausible marriage re Isaac and Anne that fits (c1782 ish) I am very confident re the baptism events and the names of the parents from the baptism register.  And from your comments I agree the marriage of a Ann and Isaac 17 years before the first born is a none starter.

I have looked at all the parish marriage register's surrounding the children's birth/baptism parish.  Nothing. You might say a brick wall looms.

Mike.