I don't know if the situation would have changed by 1843, but in 1753 a new marriage act came into force:
In England and Wales, the Marriage Act 1753, also called Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act (citation 26 Geo. II. c. 33), required formal ceremony of marriage, thus abolishing common-law marriage. The act required that if both parties to a marriage were not at least 21 years old, then consent to the marriage had to be given by the parents. Even with consent, parties were not allowed to be married unless the male was at least 14 years old and the female was at least 12. Previously, people could be married at as early as seven years of age, but until the participants reached the age of consent of 14 and 12 years, such marriages could be voided easily.
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