The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-27 00:00:00

XABBIAGES IN ENGLAND AND

WALES.
The twentieth annual Report of the Registrar-
General has just been issued, being dated the 3d of
May, 1859. It commences by stating that 1,401,080
names were inserthed in the national registers
during the year 1867 ; that 318,194 persons married
in that year ; that 663,071 children were born • and
that 419,815 person of all ages died. All the births
are not registered, owing to a defect in the Act of
Parliament. The excess of births over deaths was
243,256, rather less than in 1856. The estimated
population (England) in the middle of the year was
19;304,897. The marriage rate is, it appears, ob-
tained by comparing the number of persons mar-
Tied in a year with the number of persons living,
and thence deducing the proportions. Thus, in the
year, to every. 100,000 persons living, 1,648 mar-
ried. The births were at the rate of 3,435, the
deaths at the rate of 2,175, to every 100,000 living.
The average rates per cent. per annum during the
20 years were as follows :—The marriage rate 1.634,
the birth rate 3.293, the death rate 2-232. The
three rates during the last year were F 648, 8.435,
and 2q75. The marriage rate and birth rate were
above, the death rate was below the average. These
rates may be stated in another way : on an average
of 20 years 1 in 61 of the people married annually,
I in 45 died annually, and 1 child was born alive
annually to every 30 persons living. During the
ew last y these proportions became 1 in 61, 1 in 46,
and.l in 29.

after this general introduction the report gives
the following interesting details on the subject of
marriages :
131,031 marriages were celebrated according to
the rites of the Established Church, and 28,066
otherwise. The proportions were nearly as 82
to 18.

Upon cdtnparing the results with the returns of
theprevious year, it appears that the marriages ac-
-ffing to the rites of the Established Church de-
creased to the extent of 2,588; while the marriages
in the registered places and registration offices in-
creased from 25,718 to 28,066, or 2,348, being 9 per
cent. in excess of the former number.

The marriages (7,360) in the Roman Catholic
places of worship are less by 167 than the numbers
in the previous year; the marriages in the regis-
tered places of other denominations increased by
976, or 10 per cent., and amounted to 10,686 ; the
marriages in the superintendents' offices rose from
8,097 to 9,642, so the increase was 1,545, or 19 per
cent. on the numbers in the previous year.
67 marriages were contracted by members of the
Society of Friends, and 311 by Jews ; the former
less by 5, the latter less by 1, than the numbers in
the previous year.
The accession of numbers to the class of persons
who married not according to the rites of the Este-
islished Church does not imply any change of creed
'in any considerable part of the population. It was
'rather the result of the extension of the principle
of toleration by an act (19 and 20 Vic., cap 119),
which came into operation on the first day of the
year 1857. Notices of marriages had formerly to be
read before the Boards of Poor-law Guardians, and
the grant of licenses by the superintendent registrar
was clogged with difficulties. Both ti ese grievances
have been swept away by the act of Parliament.
No one has now any just ground of complaint ; and
the 131,031 marriages in the national church were
performed by no unwilling conformists to her rites.
Of the church marriages 9 were by special license,
21,250 by license, 102,062 by banns, and 3,748 by
superintendent registrar's certificate ; in 3,962 in-
stances the mode was notapecified. In 100 of these
marriages 16.7 were by license, 80.3 by banns, and
3.0 by certificate. The proportions differed slightly
from those in the previous year, the marriages by
license being in rather larger proportions.
The marriages have been found to vary with the
prosperity of the country. When young people are
in unusually good circumstances, they marry in un-
usual numbers, and conversely. The prices of a
commodity, like wheat, of universal consumption,
also vary, and affect the condition of different classes
variously. Thus it has been shown in previous re-
ports, that as the price of wheat falls the propor-
tion of marriages by banns in churches increases. In
seven years, when the price of wheat, ranging from
745. Bd. to 565. 5d., was 665. 3d. on an average, there
were 4,936 marriages by banns to 1,000 marriages
by license ; in the five years when wheat was 525.
ld., there were 5,469 marriages by banns to 1,000
by license; and in the five years when wheat was
425. 9d., ranging from 50s. ld. to 38s. 6d., there
were 5,530 marriages by banns to 1,000 marriages
by license. The numbers 4,936, 5,469, and 5,530
were in the inverse order of 665. 3d., 525. ld., and
425. 9d.
The marriages of the middle and of the higher
classes are apparently most numerous when the
price of wheat is highest, while the reverse hap-
pens with respect to the marriages of artizans and
labourers. These classes marry in the greatest num-
ber when the price of wheat is near the general
average. All violent fluctuations in prices are in-
jurious ; and the medium price, whatever it may be,
is most favourable to the happiness of the great
bulk of the people.
MARRIAGES OF MINORS.-8,885 men and 28,798
'women married under 21 years of age ; and of every
100 married 8.58 men, 16•10 women, or 11.84 per-
sons of both sexes, were minors. The proportion
of minors steadily increased from 8.72 in 1847 to
12.03 in the year 1856, and slightly declined in the
year 1857. It will be seen at the next census
whether the number of young persons out of whom
the marriages took place increased in any unusual
proportion. The increase of early marriages is
chiefly in the mining and manufacturing counties.
In London 2.74 of the men and 1211 of the
women who married were not of full age. There
is an excess of adults in the metropolis at the marry-
ing ages over 21 ; and there are not apparently the
same inducements to marry early as exist in the
midland counties.
The five counties in which the proportion of men
marrying as minors was highest were Bedford,
11.75; Huntingdon, 10.83; Cambridge, 9.38; Buck-
!n.gham, 8.95 ; Northampton, 8 81.
'rhe five counties in which the proportion of
women marrying as minors was highest were Staf-
ford, 26.85 ; Durham. 25.83 ; Bedford, 25.37 ; Hunt-
ingdon, 21.95; the West ltiding of York, 24.67.
In the South Midland counties the men and
women marry in early life ; many minors every-
where appear to marry young girls.
Rutland 1.81 in 100, Middlesex 2.07, Hereford
2.48, Westmoreland 2.96, Shropshire 3.02, are the
counties in which the smallest proportion of men
who marry are under age.
North Wales 11-78, Dorset 12.56, Cumberland
12.71, Middlesex 12.76, Hereford 12.85 are the
counties in which the smallest proportion Of women
marry under age.
The ages at which 187,910 persons married are
stated at pages 26-7 of the Report ; and it will be
there observed that more than half the bachelors and
spinsters who marry are 20 and under 25 years of age.
The mean age at marriage was, bachelors, 25.9
years; spinsters, 24.7; widowers, 41.9 ; and widows,
38.8; men without distinction, 28.0 years ; women,
25.9 years.
To the Registrar-General's Report is annexed a
table, wherein the counties are arranged in the
order of the marriages of minors, beginning with
the county in which the marriages of minors were
in greatest excess in 1841 ; and to which is added
for comparison the proportional number of women
married who signed the register with marks ; and
the rates cf mortality among children under five
years of age.
This table deserves to be carefully studied. It
will be observed that great irregularities prevail,
but that the general law evidently is, that in the
counties where the women are the most ignorant
they marry in the largest proportions under 21
Sears of age, and lose the largest numbers of their
children. When the counties are thrown into groups
the relation is perceptible.
RE-MARRIAGES.-21872 widowers and 14,487
widows married during the year ; and out of 100
men 14 were widowers, 86 were bachelors ; out of
100 women 9 were widows, 91 spinsters.
In Middlesex, out of London, the greatest pro-
portion (15'86) of widowers marrying is found, in
Hertfordshire the smallest proportion, 10.06.
In Staffordshire the greatest proportion, 10.84,
in Westmoreland the lowest proportion, 4.57, of
widows marry.
130,317 bachelors married the same number of
spinsters ; 6,908 bachelors married widows ; 14,293
widowers married spinsters; and 7,579 widowers
married widows.
In 1851 the bachelors of the age of 20 and
up-
wards amounted to 1,428,000, the spinsters to
1,445,040, the widowers to 334,000, and the widows
to 662,000. And if marriage had taken place in-
differently between the several classes the mar-
riages between bachelors and spinsters would have
been less numerous than they actually were. The
marriages between bachelors and widows, widowers
and spinsters, widowers and widows,. were actually
fewer than they would have been upon the above
hypothesis. The respective ages, among other cir-
cumstances, have great influence upon this result.
SIGNATURES OF PERSONS MARRIED.-In signing
the marriage registers 115,084 men wrote their
names, 44,013 made their marks ; while 97,302
women wrofe their names, and 61,765 made their
marks. Of the men 72, of the women 61, in 100
wrote their names • of the men 28, of the women
39, in 100 made their marks. This implies a great
deficiency in the elementory education of the
people. But indications of improvement appeared
in 1847, and as the persons married were educated
some years ago, it is evident that the education of
the people started onwards after the passing of the
,Reform Bill, and has since then made consideroble