Reason for marriage

[Manchester Rambler]

Historically, a betrothal was a binding contract - that's why a jilted partner could sue for "breach of promise".  There's some interesting stuff on Wikipedia, including this:

"In some historical cultures (including colonial North America), the betrothal was essentially a trial marriage, with marriage only being required in cases of conception of a child. In almost all cultures there is a loosening of restrictions against physical contact between partners, even in cultures which would normally otherwise have strong prohibitions against it."

I was looking up some Swiss records last week, and found a child born in 1826, shortly before her parents' marriage.  She was baptised with the father's surname, and there was a note in the register to say she was "née sous la foi de promesse de marriage".  (Literally "born in the faith of a promise of mariage".)

In this area, they went even further: a man who promised to marry a woman and subsequently got her pregnant could be forced by the local court to marry her if he tried to back out!  We found one case where the guy had done a runner, and his brother was obliged to stand in for him at the wedding....    (The lady in question then had her baby legitimately, and afterwards was allowed to divorce the guy for desertion while still preserving her good name!)

Rambler

[MarieC]

I feel quite out of it!!    Haven't found any examples of this in my family, even in the case where I might have expected it!  Unless an early baby was stillborn or died young, and I haven't found it...

MarieC

[BevL]

Hi Marie,
Lend you a few of mine if you like!
Bev

[MarieC]

No no - only genuine ones are wanted!!  I really WOULD like someone even a little bit badly behaved to add some interest!!  Thought I had a bigamist for awhile, but that proved not to be correct, so it's back to a long line of God-fearing, well-behaved ancestors!  (Unless the ones who have gone missing did something dire - but maybe I'll never know!)

MarieC

[7igerby7he7ail]

Some interesting info here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage

[Helen D]

Having been brought up with the understanding that it would be severely frowned on if I got pregnant while not married, I was amazed to discover how much illegitimacy/near misses had occurred in the past in the family. Granted it was my father who was particularly adamant about my 'morals', and I haven't found any slip ups in his family. However my mother's mother 'had to' get married, and further back it seemed common place.

In someone else's tree that I am doing there was one 'lady' who had 4 illegitimate sons before getting married, and 2 sisters who had 5 between them. As there was poverty in their community, I wonder if maybe theirs was a very old proffession!!!

Helen

[kerryb]

I have a 3 x great grandmother who had 3 illegitimate children before marrying a widower with 3 children and then having another 4 between them.

I bet she told him she was a widow.   

Kerry

[Roobarb]

My God-fearing Local Methodist Preacher ancestor was illegitimate. I reckon they were just a rampant lot! 

[White Lady]

I do wonder what they would all think of the youngsters of today. 

Christina