Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-26
CURIOUS MARRIAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
courtship of sixty Yea-s-Einety-fve
and rifreen-Much.M Married Couples

Courtship Of Sixty Years-Finety-nve
and Fifreen-Much. Married Couples.
The extracts that follow are from the !
Scots Aagazine, and some notices have been )
selected on account Of the curious informa- |
ton they contain, and others as specimens |
of quaint style of announcement no
longer to be met with
Mrs. Grundy has declared that May shall
not wed December without incurring her
severe displeasure. When such marriage
took place it was usually recorded, in some
such way as this "22 August ll7S2]. At
Bath, Captain Hamilton, aged thirty to
Mrs. Monson, lady of rank and fortune,
aged eighty-five. There could scarcely be
a greater distance between the ages of
married couple than eighty years, so we
may copy the record that in February,
1863, there was married Robert Judge,
Esq., of Cooksburgh, Ireland, aged ninety
five, to Miss Anne Nugens, aged fifteen.
He served in King Williams wars, and re-
ceived ball in his nose" Particulars of
hight, as well also as of age, fortune and
| length of courtship. were often given:
Dec. ll775l At York, Mr.. Thomas,
grenadier in the Yorkshire militia, six feet
! two inches high, to Miss Hannah Tennick,
|
with fortune of Go 000."
rs April [l7S5l At Ripley Church, Mr..
Robert Long to Miss H. Reynard." There
is an equal disparity of age and size in this
couple, the bridegroom being thirty-seven
years of age, and more than six feet high /;
the bride twenty years old. and little more
than three feet high.
The paragraph recording the marriage, in
I779, of couple aged respectively eighty
and eighty five, concludes thus "And
what is still more remarkable, there has
been a courtship carried on betwixt them
for more than sixty years.
| What Mrs. Grundy said and did upon
particular occasions may be learned from
the following "22 Sept [I7S3l. John
Harrison, of Cowick, Yorkshire, aged one
hundred and one, to Ann Hephonstall,
aged ninety eight the brides maid was
seventy-four, and the bridegroom's man
eighty-three. They were attended by the
greatest concourse OF people to and from
| the church that ever was known upon such
an occasion. The lady he has now taken
to be his bride is the fourth wife within
the space of two years and few months. ,"
"6 Dec. [l7S4l. At St. Bees, Cumber-
land, Mr.. Jeremiah Rule, aged nineteen,
to Miss Hannah Hodgson, widow, aged
sixty one, being the fourth time she
has honored the marriage register book
with her name. In the evening sew
eral of the relations by her former hus-
bands went to the apartments of the new
Unmarried couple to pay their respects to
their young grandfather /; a great number
of the neighbors also attended on the oc-
casion to congratulate him on the prudent
choice he had made, loudly applauding that
philosophic disposition which would prefer
the ripened charms of threescore-which
cannot possibly suffer by change-to the
blooming beauties of youth, which are
known to be as fading as any flowers in the
wild fields of nature"
Sometimes a wedding has a more painful
conclusion : "Langholm Jan. IS l776l. On
Friday last were married at Billholmburn,
near this place, William Duncan and Eliz.
abeth Graham. There was present upon
! the occasion very considerable company.
The afternoon was spent in decent mirth,
with the usual ceremonies on such an occa
sion. On the morning following the friends
came to visit them, and found them in per.
| feet health and good spirits. But alas !
how uncertain is every earthly enjoyment !
The bride was seized with a collie about ii
o'clock, which carried her off about 10 this
morning. | dare not attempt to describe
the bridegoom's situation, but shall leave
| that to readers of feeling"
Compared with the tone of the above,
there is a callous look about the conduct
of IAN eminent farmer" and Miss Mick
lethwaite, who, when at church getting
married, "at the same time ordered the
| WI 10 tr For ha int -
of the lady's father, then dead"
In our next example it would appear that
| the extensive connubial experience of his
neighbors is made the excuse for the rever.
end gentleman's "fourth venture" as the
elder Mr.. Weller would have said :" 5
Aug. [l75ll The Rev. Mr.. John Pugh,
of Cardiganshire, married to his fourth
wife. His next door neighbors on each
side are married, the one to his fifth
wife and the other to his third" A differ.
who, in ITS, is said to have died at the
remarkably cheerful, and frequently heard
singing. He married four wives, the last
when in his one hundred and fifth year."
Here is about an old man who could not
remember deceased wife's name. To him
it was probably like the name of Southey's
Russian General:
A name which you may know by sight very WELL
But which no one can speak and no one can tell.
"3 Nov. [l775I At Dalkeith, David
Wilson, journeymsn gardener, to Cathe.
rine Craw, aged forty, his fifth wife. He
| is seventy.one years Of age. His first wife
was Dutchwoman, whose name he has
forgot the others were Scotswomen.
Gretna. Green marriages, or those with
tinge of romance about them, have always
been of great interest to the fair sex. Here
are several accounts of such matches. "22
Oct [I7S4l. Charles Alpin Fowey, ESQ.,,
of Grosvenor Street, to Miss Englis OF
Worcestershire. The match was occa.
stoned by highwayman stopping stage.
coach in which the gentleman and lady
happened to be passengers, and the gallant
behavior of the former won the heart of
the latter.
Sept. [l7Sll. At Ostend, Captain
Roche, aged forty. to the eldest daughter
of the late Sir George Womwell, b., aged
sixteen, just from a boarding school, with an
Independent fortune of fl2, 900 in possess
sion, and as much more in reversion on the
death of her mother" The next para.
graph in the magazine records the mar
riage of widow Of thirty eight to youth
of seventeen. who was heir to fortune of
fl0O, 600. The ceremony took place at
Gretna. Green.
"On Saturday, October 2S f1775]. Ar.
rived at Newcastle, from matrimonial
lsunt to Gretna. Green, Edward Gould,
Esq, of Woodhsm- Mansfield, Nottingham
shire, an officer in the Fourth Regiment of
Foot. and Lady Barbara Yelverton. only
daughter of the Earl of Sussex, aged six
teen, with fortune Of f40, 000 The next
morning the newly-married couple set for
ward for the south"
A novelist in want of a plot may get
few hints from the following condensed 70.
nance: "26 July [l775l John Kerider,
laboring and married man, was impressed
as soldier in the year l74l he became