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39
Marriages
The Marriage Rate is calculated on a "total population" basis
and, as such, is not strictly comparable with other areas by reason
of discrepancies in age constitution. A more accurate ascertainment
would be to return a rate based upon the marriage of unmarried
persons over the age of 16 years (legal marriage is prohibited where
either party is under 16 years). As over 90 % of all births are legitimate
it follows that the extent to which people marry exerts a powerful
influence on the fertility rate.
In England and Wales earlier marriage during the last 30 years,
especially among females under the age of 20, has tended to increase;
from 1951 to 1965 the number of wives in this group has risen from
44 to 71 per 1,000. Moreover, for the year 1965, the mean age at
marriage for bachelor bridegrooms was 25.04 and for spinster
brides 22.64, both exemplifying this tendency for earlier marriage.
Mrs. V. M. Gilham and Mr. H. E. Turner, Superintendent
Registrars for the Districts of Greenwich and Woolwich respectively,
have kindly furnished me with particulars relating to the number of
marriages solemnised or registered in the London Borough of
Greenwich during 1966. The total of 1,927 gives a marriage rate
(i.e. persons marrying) of 16.69, a decrease of 0.55 from that of the
previous year and is 0.69 in advance of the figure of 16.0 for England
and Wales. Greater London returned a rate of 18.54.

Births
Fertility is a measure of the rate at which a specific community
adds to itself by births and this is usually assessed by relating the
number of births to the population of the particular group concerned,