Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-05
Curious WeddiaEs.
By WILLIAM ANDREWS, F. r. II. S., AUTHOR
or HISTORIC ROMANCE"

| OF HISTORIC ROMANCE"
| The matrimonial ceremony OF many foreign
| countries Is performed in very peculiar man
/ ner; but we have numerous accounts Of this
interesting service having occurred in Eng
land which are equally as singular, a few Of
| which we Will notice In this chapter
| Amongst curious weddings the examples OF
| women marrying women are perhaps the most
remarkable. On the 5th OF July, 1I71, wo-
man was tried at the criminal court In Lond3n
/ for having disguised herself as man aud
/ married in succession three women, and as IT,
| was put, derrauded them OF money and clothes
She was s. ordered TO De placed In the pillory.
Cheapslde, for some hours, and afterW ardS.com-
| mitted 10 prison for six months. We are told
that IN 1913 woman, dressed as a man, paid
ner addresses to woman. and was favoraoy
/ received. the lady to whom the delicate at
! teDtionS were paid was some years the senior
| or her lover, and possessed fl00, the latter
being the real attraction The projected
treachery was discovered aud according TO the
| nrst writer or this story, 1.-The old lady proved
too knowing" Two women lived together as
man man. and pd wife for thir5ysx years az Poplar
| death bed, related to her friends the facts OF
| her marriage. Ii Is said that they had been
| crossed In love when young, and TO avoid any
further opportunities resolved to live together.
| it appears that they were suspected for the
! husband subsequently charged man With
| eXtorting money from her under threat OF dis
closing the secret, and for this offence he was
| sentenced 10 stand three times In the pillory,
and 10 undergo four years imprisonment.
| Mr.. Day, the author OF The History OF
| Sanford and Merton whose eccentrcity is
/ Wen known. adopted very strange plan or OBJ
| tanning Wife In his early days he had met
| with disappointment In some love affair.
| %hicD he TOOK 50 much 70 heart that he de-
/ ciared he would never marry lady unless she
was capable or enduring many tests which he
| tnought 1t proper to subject her 10. Such
| creature as he desired he could not meet with
| and 1t became evident that either he would
! have to remain forever bachelor, or train up
some young girl In the way he would have her
! 10 go. He adopted the latter course, and the
/ particulars or the manner In which he at
| tempted TO rear future wife are most anus
| Ing. He first paid visit to the Founding
! Hospital at Shrewsbury, and selected two OF
| the best looking girls he could see. They
! were both twelve years OF age. One he named
! Lucretia and the other Saorina. Lucretia was
! eyes, While Sabrina, on the other hand, was OF
/ dark complexion. The girls were lent on
! certain conditions, viz: THAT Mr.. D ~ should,
within the twelve months after taking them,
resign one into the protection OF some re.
/ spectacle tradesman, giving el00 to bind her
/ apprentice, maintaining her, II she behaved
we'll. tlll she married. or began business for
! herself. Upon either OF these events he prom
! ised to advance e406 more. He ayoWed his In
/ tention OF educating the girl he should retain.
with a view TO make her his future wife. SOL
emily engaged never to fn1ure ner innocence,
! ana Ii he should renOunce his plan, to main
tain her decently In some creditable family
tlll she married, when he promised $500 as her
portion"
AS unique as this method OF obtaining wife
may appear, the arrangement was Strictly
honorable, but. as might De expected, Mr. Day
found bis scheme not TO answer. His greatest
wish was that the girls should gain no know
iedge except from him, and to avoid them hav-
ing intercourse with anyone else he took them
over to France. In doing 80 he little thought
what troublesome task he was giving him
self. He had to administer to their every wish.
The girls were terrified with the thought OF
oe1ng In a foreign country among strange
people, and he was compelled to remain with
them both night and day, and had to perform
every duty for them they required. Not only
thls; the girls had not been long together be-
lore tney commenced to quarrel with each
other. and he often experienced great dill
culty In quiettng them. After stay OF eight
months In France, Dir. Day brought them back
TO England, and Sabrina having become his ia
vorite, he found situation for Lucretia as a
chamber mllliner He continued 10 educate
: Saorina ln the way he thought most proper for
CONSIDERABLE length OF time, but he alto.
Sether failed TO bring her to his ideal of what a
wife should be. She seems, however to have
satlshed him In almost everything except
bravery; but she had great dread OF melted
sealing wax dropping on her arm, and did not
appreciate being fired at with pistols contain
Ing merely powder, which foolish practices and
many others OF ike nature he frequently
subjected her to. MIR. Day at length gave up
All IDEA or bringing his charge TO perfection
ana placed her at sutton COdfeId. where she
specify forgot her former training, and moved
ln society more lifted TO her nature. Mr. Day
shortly after this offered ghis hand Co two
Sis. eTS successfully, and was rejected by both
Oh !hem He next paid his addresses 70 Mss
mines, oy whom his attentions were received
in more acknowledgements. he was married
10 tniS laay In las, and lived with her Ia q
most eccentric manner until he was removed
by death.
There Is curious story told respecting
London tradesman. who lived III the city about
IDg year go: This geLtleman had eleven
daughters. and the dor OF each OF them de-
pended upon their weight. All OF them were
married, and they each received as their mar
.iage portion their weight in half pence. In
tuIs case ollS was something to b. appre-
cLated, our none OF them had OCCASION 10 con-
pain, Tor The lighte5t weighed nfty pound,
Two shilliEg5 and elghtpence.
one Would think IL strange sight 10 see .
!oulS lazy at the altar en- cheDiSe, but mar
riageS or this Kind have been OF frequent or
CurIeDCe In the Annual Register for 1IG6
me Iolio"l1g amusing account is given OF a
young lady having married while simply at.
urea III her shift: "a few days ago hand
some, Well-dreSSed young woman came TO a
c9urch In Nhitehayen to be married to man
VINO was attending there with the CLERGYMAN
Wien she had advanced a little into the
cnurch, a nymph, her bridesmaid, began TO
undreSs her and by degrees stripped her TO the
SIT Sill tnus she was led blooming and un.
adorned 10 the altar. where the marriage cere-
mony was performed. 1t seems this droll wed
olng was occaSioned by the embarrassment I'm
Inc n.s,,S affairs OF the Intended husband, upon
Whlca account the girl was advised to do this,
loat ne might De entitled to no other marriage
portion but her SmOck." A similar occurrence
f u place IN London In 1Iz%. at 81. Clements
Danes The man was the servant Of a bre ger
anotIe woman, Mrs. Britain. Ii appears the
lady was much in debt and to avoid her hus
band being called upon to discharge her ia
biiltles, she proceeded TO the church door with
no otner apparel than her Shift. Arriving
there her lover conducted her TO friends
Rouse, Wnere she was properly dressed. They
theh proceeded TO the church together ana be-
came united. ON another occasion We hear OF a
clergyman refusing 10 marry woman at Ash
lOH CnuIcn, IN Lancashire, because she was
uhapparelled. The Chester COUl'unt OF June
"a. I.eo, thus refers to this case: "a short
tIlie ago woman was persuaded that II she
went 10 church naked, her intended husband
Would hot De burthened with her debts and
she actually went as bride like Mother Eve
Out 10 the honor OF the clergyman he refused
the damScl the hOnOrS or wedlock." Thee
marriages we're all caused through the belief
that II d man married q woman who brought
nothing 10 him whatever save herself, he
would not be compelled 20 discharge any claims
her creditors might have upon her.
In Oliver CrOmwelrs time marriage was
made civil contract, the use OF the prayer
book being forbidden. When any one desired
TO De married, their names had to- be handed
TO the registrar, who either gave publicity to
the event in the church on three successive
Sundayss or In the market place On three sue
cessiEe market days. In some few cases the no.
tees or marriage were proclaimed by the bell
man or the district, but in every instance
clergymen were not allowed the right OF mar
rying people. This mode OF marriage prevailed
fOr i've or six years, when the clergy were
again empowered 10 conduct the solemn act
Weddings In the good! Old days were occa-
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