Pregnant Brides

I found Jayne Shrimpton’s article on dating wedding photographs in the November issue very interesting. What really stood out for me was the comment on the early 1870s photo that, “It looks as if the bride might be pregnant. Many brides were when they married.” My great grandparents, Elizabeth Hardisty and Arthur Ibbitson, were married on 21 October 1876 in Dacre Chapel, in the District of Pateley Bridge, and Elizabeth gave birth to their daughter Ada the very next day. Maybe the excitement of the wedding brought on the labour! It is believed that Elizabeth’s mother was opposed to the marriage which was why the wedding was delayed.

Interestingly, Elizabeth was born when her mother, Ann Hardisty, was unmarried aged 20 and Ann was born when her mother, also called Elizabeth, was unmarried aged 18.

Just to complete the picture Arthur Ibbitson’s mother was unmarried when both Arthur and his sister, Mercy, were born. A DNA test might reveal some interesting family connections! Sue Whitfield, by email

EDITOR REPLIES: Having children out of wedlock was more common than we might think along with marrying when pregnant it would seem!