Why? In English common law, traditionally 7 is the age of reason, 14 the age of an adult, and 21 the age of majority. We'd have 14 year olds off to sea, etc.

Why? In English common law, traditionally 7 is the age of reason, 14 the age of an adult, and 21 the age of majority. We'd have 14 year olds off to sea, etc. I suspect (but haven't checked) this comes from some biblical rules. Remember that people can generally breed by 14 (even now, some girls go through pubity around 10 or 11), though a lot of western cultures now outlaw it.