I did address this in my post on marriage, but I’ll go into more depth based on the question I received.
There were two ways a minor could marry, with permission of her parent or guardian or fleeing to Gretna Green (one could have bans posted, but they’d probably be caught). If a minor was an orphan, he or she would most likely have a guardian. In fact, it would be very unusual for the minor not to have a guardian. A guardian was appointed by a will made by the father, or, if the mother had guardianship, by her. However, if there was no guardian, or the guardian has disappeared, then the minor would either have to wait until his or her majority (at 21 years of age), or go to Scotland to wed. The mere permission of the closest male relative would not be sufficient. The guardian would have to be appointed by either a will or a court.
#RegencyTrivia #HistoricalRomance #ReadaRegency
ellaquinnauthor
Ella Quinn ~ Author 
If the Napoleonic Wars had ceased, could the couple flee across the channel and wed in France rather than take the long trip up to Scotland? Would a marriage in France be valid in England if one or both of the parties was underage?