Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-03-13
Marriages Among the Anglo
S5aXonS,

By the Ang'o-Suxon laws, every woman was
under the care of some man, who was termed
her muudbora, or guardian; and no one could
marry her without first having paid a sum Of
money as a compensation to her mundbora. The
father of course was the guardian of his un-
married daughters the brother if the father
died and next to him the nearest male relative;
if however the female was frendless and alone,
she found in the king her legal guardian. There
were no runaway matches then, no clandestino
and romantic nuptias among the Saxon people :;
they did everything, even to their very love af-
fairs, in a plain matter-of-fact way; they esti-
mated the value ofthe girl according to her rank
in life, and the law fixed the sum which should
be regarded as legal tender to satisfy the ava
rice of her guardian. The first step in court
ship, therefore, was to buy the consent of the
mnndbora the lover then was admitted into the
society of his mistress, and allowed to claim
her in due course as his wife; if, however, her
personal charms or her disposition proved, on
better acquaintance, unsatisfactory to the suitor,
and he failed to complete the bargain, we are
using, fair readers, the terms employed by the
Saxon witan,) he became Immediately amenabe
to the law. For this breach of promise of
marriage, he had to pay not only the usual con-
sideration-fee to her guardian, but an additional
compensation, besides a sum Of money to those
who had become suretles for the fufllment Of
the engagement on his part. If man ventured
to marry, without first having bought and paid
for his wife, he was guilty of the crime Of
mund- breach the consequences of which were
both disastrous and vexatious The husband in
such a case possessed no legal authority over
his spouse he was husband, in fact, without
wife he had no right to her property; he
could recover no compensation for any insult
which another man should dare to offer her; she
had not been paid for,-the guardian had re-
ceved no consideration, and all damages or
fines inflicted for such an insult were payable to
the woman's mundbora, If man wished to
take his wife into foreign parts, or into another
tllalO iuHui HO huu w CHlGT lulU u COHlpdCl
with her guardian that no wrong should be done
to her, but that she should receive every mark
of attention and kindness. If q man bought a
maid and paid for her, no other could negotiate
for her purchase; but if any fraud had been
committed on her part, or on the part of her
friends, she was returned home and the man
demanded back his money. BY the Saxon law
maiden and widoW were of separate value
the latter could be purchased for one-half the
sum which the guardian of maid was entitled
to demand the man, therefore, who could not
afford to purchase maid, might perhaps be able
to purchase a widow. The laws relating to the
marriage Of widows are curious, and seemed tC
discountenance second nuptals. The widow
was compelled, by law of Canute's to continue
husbandless for twelve months at least. If she
married within that time, she forfeited all hel
marriage-gifts, and all the property which she
acquired by her first marriage was claimed by
her nearest lUnsman. Henry the First confirmed
this decorous law.-Mery,0eathe Lights ana
IShadoio's Of Oldsn Time.