A note on the frequency of consanguineous marriages in Reading, England in 1972/1973

A random sample was taken of marriages celebrated in 1972/1973 in and around Reading, Berksshire, in order to investigate marital mobility and population structure. Respondents were asked whether they were related before marriage and isonymous marriages were noted. Eight consanguineous marriages were recorded. The inbreeding coefficient for the next generation is estimated to be 0.00017 from consanguineous marriages, 0.00021 from isonymy. These values are similar to those obtained from other modern Western societies.