Sources for the marriage of Penelope Naunton and Paul Bayning usually list the date as being 25 August 1624. Cokayne https://archive.org/details/completepeerageo02coka/page/36/mode/2up adds that it took place at Hitchin, Herts. But in surveying these sources, I have yet to see any primary record to show this marriage, and as we all know, many genealogists will uncritically copy from one another without examining records.
In 1624, Penelope was aged 4 and Paul about 8. This was an age when early marriages were commonplace, if not quite THAT early. But there is one record that contradicts the earlier date:
First name(s) |
Penelope |
County |
Suffolk |
Last name |
Naunton |
Country |
England |
Birth year |
- |
Source |
Boyd's marriage index, 1538-1850 |
Year |
1634 |
Record set |
England, Boyd's Marriage Indexes, 1538-1850 |
Spouse's first name(s) |
Paul |
Category |
Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records |
Spouse's last name |
Baining |
Subcategory |
Parish Marriages |
Place |
Hitcham |
[England, Boyd's Marriage Indexes, 1538-1850/ Suffolk, England [https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F753748237%2F1 FindMyPast]
This is hardly the most reliable evidence, but:
The names Hitcham and Hitchin could easily be confused. The Naunton family originated in Suffolk. The dates 1634 and 1624 could easily be transposed. And the ages would have been a lot more reasonable at 18 and 14.
And I have yet to find a more reliable source for the earlier date.