Daily Ancestordouble dating
Double dating means writing a year two ways, such as 1732/3, for dates from January 1 to March 24 before 1752, when the year was said to start on March 25.
Before 1752 the legal year in England and the colonies began on March 25, but many people already counted January 1 as New Year. To avoid confusion, writers gave dates between January 1 and March 24 with both years, as in 14 February 1699/1700.
The first number is the year by the March reckoning and the second is the year by January reckoning. Modern researchers should keep the double date as written. A single year for a date in those months is ambiguous, so look at neighboring entries to see which year the clerk used.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "double dating." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/dates-calendar/double-dating. Last checked 2026-10-01.