Kathy Heffernan

Because of social customs as well as the impact of the Roman Catholic Church, marriage practices in medieval England followed a relatively strict formula. First the two families, that of the bride and the groom, discussed the dowry which the bride would bring. Once the financial arrangements were settled, the couple would partake in a betrothal ceremony. This engagement in most cases was performed with witnesses and was legally binding. The only legal requirement for betrothal was that both the girl and the boy had to be at least seven years of age. In order for the actual marriage procedure to begin the woman must be twelve and the man must be fourteen. In many cases, the woman was close to this age. The man, however, was frequently older. In one case I found, he was twenty years older than his young woman. The marriage begins with the announcement of banns on three separate holy days with at least one day between each. The day of the third ban is finally the day of the wedding.

The wedding is a very complex ritual. The couple stands side by side at the church doors. The priest then announces the third ban. If there are no objections, the ceremony continues. The couple pledges to love, honor, etc. each other, and then they exchange their vows. The priest blesses the ring and hands it to the groom who in turn proceeds to place it on the brides left hand. The groom starts by placing the ring on the bride’s thumb saying "In the name of the Father;" for each member of the trinity he moves the ring over one finger until it is on her ring finger. The couple is then blessed and every one enters the church. Kneeling at the altar, the couple receives numerous blessings for the priest as well as the congregation. A pall, or dark cloth, is held over the couple’s heads as more blessings are proclaimed. Then an entire mass is held.

After all of this, there is a feast. If the bride’s family is wealthy this could be quite elaborate; if they are poor they may have a "pot luck" for which they supply the ale. The following night the priest blesses the bridal chamber and the bed, and the couple finally concludes the entire affair by consummating their marriage.

Fun facts: 1. Catholic weddings as well as Protestant weddings today still use many of these

traditions including banns.

2. The bride stands on the left of the groom because she was created out of his left rib.

3. The ring is place on the bride’s ring finger "…because in that finger there is a certain

vein, which runs from thence as far as he heart" (Women 86).

4. If in medieval England there was a marriage without a feast the groom could be

subject to a fined.