See also:

• BETROTHAL (A.S. treowth, " truth ")

BETROTHAL (A.S. treowth, " truth ")  , the giving " one's truth," or pledging one's faith to marry . Although See also:

• LEFT

left optional by the See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church and not necessary in See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law, See also:

• BETROTHAL (A.S. treowth, " truth ")

betrothal was anciently a formal ceremony which in most cases preceded the actual See also:

• MARRIAGE

marriage service, usually by a See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of some See also:

• WEEKS, EDWIN LORD (1849-1903)

weeks, but the marriage might for various reasons be delayed for years . The See also:

• CANON

canon law distinguished two types of betrothal:—(1) Sponsalia de praesenti, (2) Sponsalia de futuro . The first was a true though irregular marriage, and was abolished by the See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council of See also:

• TRENT
• TRENT (Lat. Tridentum; Ital. Trento; Ger. relent)
• TRENT, COUNCIL OF

Trent as leading to clandestine unions and therefore being inimical to morality . The second, or betrothal properly so called, was a promise to marry at a future date, which promise without further ceremony became a valid marriage upon See also:

• CON

con-summation . The church never precisely determined the See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of the ceremony, but demanded for its validity that it should have been entered into freely and at a legal See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age; i.e. after the seventh birthday . The church further declared that See also:

• FEMALES

females between the ages of seven and twelve, and See also:

• MALES

males between seven and fourteen, could be betrothed, but not married, and that all such betrothals were to be public . The See also:

• ILL

ill-defined See also:

• LAWS

laws as to betrothals tended to encourage abuses; and the See also:

• PEOPLE

people, especially in the rural districts, inclined to hold betrothal sufficient See also:

• JUSTIFICATION

justification for cohabitation . Such pre-See also:

• CONTRACT
• CONTRACT (Lat. contract us, from contrahere, to draw together, to bind)

contract is known to have existed in the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of See also:

• SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM (1564-1616)

Shakespeare (q.v.) . See also:

• FRANCIS
• FRANCIS (FRarrcols) OF SALES, ST (1567-1622)
• FRANCIS (Lat. Franciscus, Ital. Francesco, Span. Francisco, Fr. Francois, Ger. Franz)
• FRANCIS, SIR PHILIP (174o-1818)

Francis See also:

• DOUCE, FRANCIS (1757-1834)

Douce (Illustrations of Shakespeare and of Antient See also:

• MANNERS, CHARLES (1857– )

Manners, 1807) says that betrothal consisted of the "interchange of rings—the See also:

• KISS

kiss—the joining of hands, to which is to be added the testimony of witnesses." In See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France the presence of a See also:

• PRIEST (Ger. Priester, Fr. pretre)

priest seems to have been considered essential, and though this was not so elsewhere it was customary for the couple to get their See also:

• PARISH (Gr. irapouda, district, neighbourhood; 7r&poucos, one dwelling near or beside, from crap&, OtKOS, house; Lat. paroecur, Late Lat. parochia; cf. Fr. paroisse)

parish priest to See also:

• WITNESS
• WITNESS (from O. Eng. witan, to know)

witness their promise . In See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England See also:

• SOLEMN (Lat. sollemnis, sollemnis, less correctly solennis, yearly, annual; from sollus = totus, whole, entire, Gr. Mos., and annus, year)

solemn betrothal was almost universally practised . Among the peasantry the See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place of rings was taken by a See also:

• COIN
• COIN (older forms of the word are coyne, quoin and coign, all derived through the O. Fr. coing, and cuigne from Lat. cuneus, a wedge)

coin which was broken between the pair, each taking a See also:

• PART

part .

But almost any See also:

• GIFT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. die Gift, gift, das Gift, poison, formed from the Teut. stem gab-, to give, cf. Dutch geven, Ger. geben; in O. Eng. the word appears with initial y, the guttural of later English is due to Scandinavian influence)

gift sufficed . A case in 1582is recorded where the See also:

• LOVER, SAMUEL (1797-1868)

lover gave the girl a pair of gloves, two oranges, two handkerchiefs and a red See also:

• SILK

silk See also:

• GIRDLE (O. Eng. gyrdel, from gyrdan, to gird; cf. Ger. Gurtel, Dutch gordel, from giirten and gorden; "gird" and its doublet " girth " together with the other Teutonic cognates have been referred by some to the root ghar—to seize, enclose, seen in Gr. )(s

girdle . Sometimes the See also:

• BRIDE (a common Teutonic word, e.g..Goth. bruths, O. Eng. bryd, O. H. Ger. prs2t, Mod. Ger. Bract, Dut. bruid, possibly derived from the root bru-, cook, brew; from the med. latinized form bruta, in the sense of daughter-in-law, is derived the Fr. bru)

bride-elect received a See also:

• BENT
• BENT (E1. BENI)
• BENT, JAMES THEODORE (1852–1897)

bent or crooked sixpence . At the conclusion of the ceremony, which by no means always took place in a church, it seems to have been usual for the couple to See also:

• PLEDGE

pledge each other in a See also:

• CUP (in O.E. cuppe; generally taken to be from Late Lat. cuppa, a variant of Lat. cupa, a cask, cf. Gr. KuaeXXov)

cup of See also:

• WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine, as do the See also:

• JEWS
• JEWS (Heb. Y8hudi, man of Judah; Gr. 'Iovbaiot; Lat. Judaei)

Jews and Russians to-See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day . This drinking together was ever the universal See also:

• CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom of parties in ratification of a bargain . See also:

• JOSEPH
• JOSEPH, COMTE DE (1785-1870)
• JOSEPH, FATHER (FRANCOIS LECLERC DU TREMBLAY) (1577-1638)

Joseph See also:

• STRUTT, JEDEDIAH (1726-1797)

Strutt (1749–1802) states that by the See also:

• CIVIL

civil law gifts given at betrothal could be recovered by the parties, if the marriage did not take place . But only conditionally, for if the See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man " had had a kiss for his See also:

• MONEY

money, he should lose one See also:

• HALF

half of that which he gave . Yet with the woman it is otherwise, for, kissing or not kissing, whatever she gave, she may ask and have it again . However, this extends only to gloves, rings, bracelets and such-like small wares." Though the church abstained from prescribing the form of the ceremony, it jealously watched over the fulfilment of such. contracts and punished their violation . Betrothal, validly contracted, could be dissolved either by mutual consent, or by the supervening of some See also:

• RADICAL (Lat. radix, a root)

radical See also:

• PHYSICAL

physical or social See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change in the parties, or by the omission to fulfil one of the conditions of the contract . But here the church stepped in, and endeavoured to override such law as existed in the See also:

• MATTER

matter by decreeing that whoever, after betrothal, refused to marry in facie ecclesiae, was liable to See also:

• EXCOMMUNICATION (Lat. ex, out of, away from; communis, common)

excommunication till relieved by public See also:

• PENANCE (Old Fr. penance, fr. Lat. poenitentia, penitence)

penance . In England the law was settled by an See also:

• ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act of 1753, which enacted that an aggrieved party could obtain redress only by an See also:

• ACTION

action at See also:

• COMMON

common law for See also:

• BREACH (Mid. Eng. breche, derived from the common Teutonic root brec, which appears in " break," Ger. brechen, &c.)

breach of promise of marriage (see MARRIAGE) .

Formal betrothal is no longer customary in England, but on the See also:

• EUROPEAN

European See also:

• CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent it retains much of its former importance . There it is either solemn (publicly in church) or private (simply before witnesses) . Such betrothals are legal contracts . They are only valid between persons of legal age, both of whom consent; and they are rendered void by See also:

• FRAUD (Lat. fraus, deceit)

fraud, intimidation and See also:

• DURESS (through Fr. from Lat. duritia, harshness, severity, durus, hard)

duress . In See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany if the parties are under age the consent of the parents is needed; but if this be unreasonably withheld the couple may See also:

• APPEAL

appeal to a See also:

• MAGISTRATE (Lat. magistratus, from magister, master, properly a public office, hence the person holding such an office)

magistrate, who can See also:

• SANCTION (Lat. sanctia, from sancire, to decree or ordain)

sanction the betrothal . If the parents disagree, the See also:

• FATHER

father's wish prevails . Public betrothal carries with it an See also:

• OBLIGATION

obligation to marry, and in case of refusal an action " lies " for the injured party . In Germany the betrothal is generally celebrated before the relatives, and the couple are called bride and bridegroom from that day until marriage . In See also:

• RUSSIA
• RUSSIA (Rossiya)

Russia, where it was once as binding as marriage, it is now a See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere formal part of the marriage ceremony . Among the See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient Jews betrothal was formal and as binding as marriage . After the ceremony, which consisted of the handing of a See also:

• RING (O.E. hring; a word common to Teutonic languages; and probably cognate with the Lat. circus, Gr. KtpKOS or KpLKOS, Skt'. chakra, wheel, circle, cf. also " harangue "); in art, a band of circular shape of varying sizes, made of any material and used f

ring or some See also:

• OBJECT

object of value to the bride and formal words of contract, and the mutual pledging of the couple in consecrated wine, a period of twelve months elapsed before the marriage was completed by the formal See also:

• HOME
• HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
• HOME, EARLS OF

home-taking; unless the bride was a widow or the See also:

• GROOM

groom a widower, when this See also:

• INTERVAL

interval was reduced to See also:

• THIRTY

thirty days . Latterly the ceremony of betrothal has become a part of the marriage ceremony, and the engagement has become the informal affair it is in England .

For betrothal customs in See also:

• CHINA

China, the See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

East and elsewhere, consult L . J . Miln, Wooings and Weddings in Many Climes (See also:

• LONDON

London, 19oo), and H . N . See also:

• HUTCHINSON
• HUTCHINSON, ANNE (c. 1600-1643)
• HUTCHINSON, JOHN (1615-1664)
• HUTCHINSON, JOHN (1674-1737)
• HUTCHINSON, SIR JONATHAN (1828– )
• HUTCHINSON, THOMAS (1711-1780)

Hutchinson, Marriage Customs in Many Lands (London, 1897) . On See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early See also:

• ENGLISH

English law as to betrothals see See also:

• SIR

Sir F . See also:

• POLLOCK

Pollock and See also:

• MAITLAND (MAITLAND OF LETHINGTON), WILLIAM
• MAITLAND, EAST
• MAITLAND, EDWARD (1824-1897)
• MAITLAND, FREDERIC WILLIAM (1850-1906)
• MAITLAND, SIR RICHARD (LORD LETHINGTON) (1496-r586)

Maitland, See also:

• HISTORY

History of English Law before the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of See also:

• EDWARD

Edward I . (2nd ed., 1898) . See also J . O . Llalliwell-Phillipps, Outlines of the See also:

• LIFE

Life of Shakespeare (London, 1848, 1883) .