1895 was the year of the first showing of Oscar Wilde’s last play The Importance of Being Earnest, and its also the date that’s being used to show the decline in marriages in England and Wales.

According to the Office of National Statistics, marriage in England and Wales is the lowest since 1895.

Some say they aren’t surprised given the lack of government policy encouraging tying the knot and the existing welfare system, which some believe penalises against marriages.