Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-04-29
5MOCk MARRIAGES.
yEsterres In Maine of Custom That Pre-
vailed In England n Century Ago.

Instances In Maine of Custom That Pre-
vailed In England n Century Ago.
A Bangor lawyer attending court in
the ancient town Of Wiscasset, Me-,
went rummaging recently in the colonial
court records Of the place and in the
course of his reading ran across the
official registration of ''smock mar
riage." Not knowing what sort of mar
riage that was he looked further and
got considerable light upon a custom
that prevailed in England century or
two ago and also to some extent in the
American colonies.
Smock marriages were weddings
where the bride appeared dressed in a
white sheet or chemise. The reason of
such garb was the belief that if
man married woman who was in debt
he could be held liable for her indebted
ness if be received her with any of her
property, and also that if woman mar
ried 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
rian, there was at least one case where
the bride was clothed puris naturalibus
while the ceremony was being per-
formed in the great church at Birming
ham. The minister 1t first refused to
perform the ceremony, but finding moth
| ing in the rUbric ti,at would excuse him
he married the pair.
To carry ont the law fully as the reo-
| pie understood it the ceremony should
always have been performed as it was
in the Birmingham church. But modes
| ty forbidding, various expedients were
used to accomplish the desired purpose
| and yet avoid tho undesirable features.
| Sometimes the bride stood i'll q closet
and put her hand through hole i'll the
door. Sometimes she stood behind a
| cloth screen and put her hand ont at
one side, again she wcund about her a
white sheet furnished for the purpose
| by tie bride groom, and sometimes she
stood in her cEeinise or smock. Even.
| tually, il Essex county 1t least, all I'M
modesty was avoided by the bride.
| grOCm's furnishing TO the bride all the
clothes she wore, retaining title to the
same in himself. This nc 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 i'll 1888, and the following is q true
copy Of the record of the same:
BRADFORD. Dec. yc 81. l5:3.
| THIS may certific wEgIasoCyUr Il may con
cCrne that Jarics Bailey Of Bradford who Wa.
| married 10 the widow mGry Bacon Nov % las
past by me ye subscriber then declared that h,
tool. the said person without anything OF -
| :Gtc and that ~ dia the wife Of Eliazcr BurLanl
| < Mary the wife of Thomas Stickncy d Mar
garct the wife of Caleb Burbank all Of Brad
ford were witnesses that the clothes she theI
had On were Cf his providing & bcstowing upoI
| her
WILLIAM DALCH, Minister of &c Gospel.
Il is noted by the same writer that il
all cases of smock marriages that have
come to his knowledge the brides hay,
been widows
1t is thought that during the reign o.
George Ill there were many smock mar
riages in Maine, then part of the prov
inCe Of massachusetts, Bay, chiefly il
Lincoln aud York counties or in the ter
ritory which is row so known. There j
nothing to show that the practice out
J lived the Revolution. In Maine Up 4
1852 a husband was liable for debts O
his wife contracted before marriage
and no such subterfuge as the smocl
marriage could relieve him. New Yorl
SIM