"Unmarried" at 15!

[Jonesy]

Just came across a 15 year old boy described as "unmarried" on the 1861 census - I should hope so too!

Was this a common description for someone so young? Were 15 year olds getting married in 1860s Britain?!

[Jan1954]

Was this a common description for someone so young?

Short answer: yes.

Well, it was not rare. I have a number of instances in various censuses where children as young as 5 or 6 have been recorded as "U" for unmarried in the marital status column.

[K9ARO]

At 15 years old he was a 'man' and working, so not a scolar, so unmarried
The age was 14 for boys and 12 for girls; these remained the legal age for marriage until the late 19th Century in Britain ( I think 1875 it changed)

[Peter Goodey]

The "Condition" column on the household schedule is headed "...except for young children". So I'm not all surprised at seeing the marital status stated for a lad of working age.

[Ladkyis]

Perhaps whoever filled in the form was like me and didn't read the question properly and filled in "unmarried" for everyone who wasn't married. It's easily done when you are the type of person that knows everything and is always right - yes, I am still talking about me.