The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-08-20
Tarrying and Marry ing en- Chemise.

The younger people Of present gener-
alton have heard curious and interesting
stories of the custom of "bundling," "
which was once the rule, and is not now
wholly obsolete, in the Dutch counties
of Pennsylvania. 1t undoubtedly had
its origin in Wales, and Mr. Edward j,
Wood, in his book, 'The Wedding Day
in all Ages and Countries" SAYS: The
man in Wales went at night 10 the bed
of his love, into which, retaining some
of his outer garments, he was admitted
By her without reserve. These meetings
were often conducted with much innoc-
ence, but sometimes the converse hap
pened. This kind of courtShip general
ly took place on Saturday or Sunday
night, and the man often walked long
distances to the bnndling. The custom
is said to have originated in a searity of
fnel. and tie consequent unpleasantness
OF the couple sitting together lin cold
weather without a FIRE" Burnally, in
his Travels in North America" says
tlidl Aiie lDnGI OTlSAc vi Il
cau>" adopted a style of courtship call
ed "Tarrying," which was as follows;
When a man was enamored of maiden
he proposed for her to her parents, and if
they had no objection to him they al
lowed him to 'tarrv" with her one night,
in order TO give him an opportunity to
court her. The couple got into bed to-
gether, still wearing their undergar-
ments, so as to prevent a scandal. If
they agreed they got married, if other
wise they parted. The tarrying was gem
orally conducted without any improprie
ties. But Kuhn, in his travels in
North America" about 1747, seems 10
have found ont the queerest things. He
says: When poor widow, whose late
husband had died in debt, ma rried again,
she went to the church wearing only her
chemise, by which means she and her
new husband were both relieved from all
liability in respect of such debt. Wood
states that in England from early times
until the present, notion prevailed
that if a man married woman in her
shift only he was liable for any debts
which she might have contracted This
was valgar error, founded probably on
the legal maxim that a husband is liza
Bile to his wIfe's debts, because he upon
marriage acquired an absolute intesest
in her personal estate; the unlearned de-
duclion being that if the wife had no
estate the husband would not incur any
liability. Instances of marriage en- chsra-
use have actually occurred in England
Thus, the register of book in Willis,
under date of 17I4, contains an entry of
4 marriage of woman "in her smOck "
without any clothes or head gear on"
AT Ulcomb, in Kent, in 1925, woman
was married in her chemise At While
hare, in 1866, a woman stripped herself
to her shift in the church, and in that
condition she stood at the altar and was
married. In Lincolnshire, between 1888
and 1874, woman was married envel-
| oped only in q sheet. And not many
years back a similar marriages took
place, the clergyman, finding nothing in
the Rubric about the woman's dress,
thought he could not refuse to marry
her in her chemise only. At Kirton-in-
Lindsey there was popular belief that
the woman must be actually nude when
| she left her residence for that of her in
tended husband, in order to relieve him
of her debts; and case of this kind oc-
Cured: The woman left her house from
a bedroom window stark-naked, and
pat on her clothes as she stood upon
the top of the ladder by which she ac.
complished her descent.