Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-01-12
Another. Good Man Gone
Wrong.
sMock MARRIAGES.


Instances In s1aino Of Custom That Pro.
vailed In England . Century Ago.
A Bangor lawyer attending court in
The ancient town Ct Wiscasset, Me-,
went rummaging recently in the colonial
SQUIRT records of the place and in the
81 Of his reading ran across the
ofi., registration Of ''smock mar
riage. +" Not knowing what sort of mar
siage that was he lcyked 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.
Snock marriages were weddings
where the bride appeared dressed in q
white sheet or chemise. The reason of
such garb was the belief that If a
man married woman who was in debt
he could be held liable for her indebted
neEs if he received her with any Of her
property, aud 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 i'll the great church at Birming-
ham. The minister at first refused to
perform the ceremony, Int finding Moth
ing in the rubric that would excuse him
he married the pair.
10 carry out the law fully as the peo-
pie Understood it the ceremony should
always have been performed as it was
in Cunningham church. But modes
t. i.tuidding, various expedients were
used to accomplish the desired purpose
and yet avoid the undesirable features.
Sometimes the bride stood in a closet
and put her hand through a hole in the
door. Sometimes she stood behind q
oloth screen aud put her hand out at
one side, again she wound about her q
white sheet furnished for the purpose
By the bridegroom, aud sometimes she
stood in her ckelnise or smock. Even
tually. III Essex county at least, al i'm
modssty was avoided by the bride.
grocin's furnishing to the bride all the
clothes sh } wore. retaining title to the
same in Lii..sf. This he did in the
presence OF !. witnesses, that he might
prove the fa=: in case he was sued fer
any debts size might have contracted. A
marriage Of this kind occurred st Brad
ford in 1898, aud the following is a true
copy of the record of the same:
BRADFORD, Dec. ye "a, l758.
This may certife whoE4socver it may con-
cerEe that James Eailey of bradford who was
msrried to TIL. widow Mary Eacon Nov q last
past by iac ye subscriber then declared that he
took the said person without anything Of eS-
tate and that Lydia the ifc of Eliazer Burbank
8 Mary the wife Of Thomas S,ickne; G Mar
garct the wife ot Calcl, Burbank all Of Brad.
hati ON were OF his providing & bcstowing upon
her
WILLIAM. BAlGfa. Minister Of ye Gospel
It is noted by the same writer that in
all cases Of slnock marriages that have
come to his knowledge the brides have
been widows.
1t is thought that during the reign Of
George III there were many smock mar
1iages in Maine, then part Of the prov
iuce Of. Massachusetts, Bay, chiefly in
Lincoln and York counties or in the ter
ritory which is now 90 known. There is
nothing to show that the practice ont.
lived the Revolution. In Maine mp to
1869 husband was liable for debts Of
his wife contracted before marriage.
and no such subterfuge as the smock
marriage could relieve him. York
Sum. . S;s
>f} y & oldest Hank Not. e 4. &