The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-31
sMOck MARRIAGES..
Instances In Maine Of a Custom That Prs-
vailed In England Century Ago.


vailed In England Century Ago.
A Bangor lawyer attending court i'm
the ancient town Of Wiscasset, Me-,
went rummaging recently in the colonial
court records Of the place aud IN the
course Of his reading ran across the
official registration of "sn.Ock mar
riage." Not knowing what sort of mar
riage that was he locked further and
got considerable light upon a customs
that prevailed in England century OK
two ago and also to some extent in thes
American colonies.
Smock marriages were weddings
where the bride appeared dressed in a.
white sheet or chemise The reason of
such a garb was the belief that if a.
man married a woman who was in debt
he could be held liable for her indebted
ness if he received her with any of her
property, and also that if woman mar
ried a man who was in debt his credit
ors could not take her property to salts
fy their claims if he received nothing
from her. In England, says an antigua
rlan, there was at least one case where
the bride was clothed puris naturalihusr
while the ceremony was being per
formed in the great church at Birming
ham. The minister at first refused to-.
perform the ceremony, but finding moth
ing in the rubric that would excuse aim.
he married the pair.
To carry out the law fullysas the peo-
pie understood it the ceremony should
always have been performed as il wass
in the Birmingham church. But modes
ty forbidding, various expedients were
used to accomplish the >Nsired purpose
and yet avoid the undesirable features
Sometimes the bride stood in closet
and put her hand through hole in the
door. Sometimes she stood behind d.
cloth screen and put her hand out at
one side, again she wound about her a.
white sheet furnished for the purpose
by the bridegroom, and sometimes She
stood in her chemise or smock. Even
tually, in Essex county at least, all i'm
modesty was avoided by the BRIDE
groom's furnishing to the bride all the
clothes she wore, retaining title to the
same in himself. This he did in the,
presence of witnesses. that he might
prove the fact in case he was sued for,
any debts she might have contracted. A
marriage of this kind occurred at Brad
ford in 1898, and the following is true.
copy of the record of the same:
BRADFORD, Dec. ye "a 1883
This may certifie whomsoever IL may con-
cerne that James Bailey Of Bradford who
married to the widow Mary Bacon Nov % last
past by me ye subscriber then declared that he
took the said person without anything of
tate and that Ly dia the wife of Eliazer Burbank
a. Mary the wife of Thomas Stickney " Mar
garet the wife of Caleb Burbank all Of Brad
ford were witnesses that the clothes she then
had on were of his providing s. bestowing upon
her
WILLIAM BALcH. Minister Of We Gospel.
1t is noted by the same writer that in
all cases of smock marriages that have
come to his knowledge the brides have
been widows.
1t is thought that during the reign of
George Ill there were many smock mar
riages in Maine, then part Of tue prov
ince of Massachusetts, Bay, chiefly inss
Lincoln and York counties or in the ter
ritory which is now so known. There is
nothing to show that the practice out
lived the Revolution. In Maine up to
1852 a husband was liable for debts Of
his wife contracted before marriage
and no such subterfuge as the smocb-
marriage could relieve him. York
Sun.