A COUPLE who fought a court battle to marry as teenagers now have 47 grandkids – so many they can’t remember all their names.
Love-struck Gordon and Pauline Papworth went to court for the right to marry in 1963 – when under-21s needed parental consent.
The case made headlines across the world as Gordon and his heavily-pregnant girlfriend defied their parents to tie the knot.
Now six decades on the pair are still proving that love conquers all and have just marked their diamond wedding anniversary (60 years).
They now have so many children and great-grandchildren – making them one of the biggest-known families in the UK.
Retired joiner Gordon, 79, said: “To have 47 grandkids and great-grandkids – not to mention one great great grandchild – is just wonderful.
“Although I must be honest – there are so many I have forgotten all the names.
“There are some I haven’t seen for years. They’ll show up and obviously have changed a lot since I last saw them, so I have to say, ‘Who are you?’
“It’s just impossible to keep count. We had our latest great-grandchild on our anniversary, so that was nice. It was a little girl named Dolly.
“Sometimes they will just turn up out of the blue. But we know they would be there in a flash if we were in desperate need.
“I’d say we were last all together around five or six years ago. They generally all live within a 50-mile radius. But although we don’t see them that often, it is still great.
“We could put out four full football teams – plus a few substitutes. How many other families can say that?”
After their controversial wedding Gordon and Pauline went on to have three children – Paul, 59, Steven, 55, and Tina who passed away at the age of 50 in 2015.
Their oldest grandchild is Darren Pickwell at 40, with the youngest being 28-year-old Stephen Papworth.
Great grandchildren range from Liam Walker, 20, to weeks-old Dolly.
And great great granddaughter Tahlia-Mai Pickwell is just one.
Pauline, 77 – who was 16 when the couple wed – said: “It’s lovely having such a big family now. But back then all of our parents were dead against us getting married.
“Gordon’s parents said he was too young to get wed and mine thought he wasn’t good enough.
“My dad was in the Army and didn’t suffer fools. He bought Gordon a pint of mild once and after he knocked it straight back, he said to me: ‘You’re not going out with him again’.
“My mum grounded me whenever I was caught sneaking out of the house to see Gordon. She used to smack me with a hair brush and wooden spoon – anything she could get her hands on.
“We were thinking about eloping to Greta Green to get married but there was no way we could have afforded it.
“So we decided to go to court instead – and the rest is history.”
Gordon sold his Austin Ruby car for the princely sum of £13 and told the judge he would spend the money on their wedding and for groceries.
Crucially he had also saved up £200 to spend on their marital home – a caravan on a farm.
After winning permission from the court, the couple married at Lincoln Register Office on November 2, 1963.
None of the four parents went to their wedding – which cost £2.50 – but frosty relationships recovered when the couple had children.
In July, the Sun reported Pearl Carless, 82, of Birmingham had 67 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and 8 great-great grandchildren – making a total of 121.
And in 2017, 97-year-old Margaret Howarth told how she had 45 grandchildren, 84 great grandchildren and another 25 great-great grandchildren – adding up to an incredible 154.
