Marriage of Phillip Hopkin to Sarah Hopkin (General)

by Paul Andrews , Shropshire, England, Friday, January 15, 2010, 23:17 (5501 days ago) @ rookancestrybest

Looking at this discussion I would like to make a couple of points.

Marriage between first cousins was legalized in the 1540s.

Before the industrial revolution the majority of people were born, lived, worked and died within fifteen miles of their birthplace. At this time it has been estimated that two to three percent of marriages were between first cousins.

The marriage may well have been arranged in order to keep property, etc. within the family.

On the other hand an error by the clerk is not unknown. The marriage record states that both the groom and bride signed. Checking the original record should confirm the names.