Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1874 — Eccentric Weddings. [ARTICLE]

Eccentric Weddings.

Some three or four weeks ago the blissful serenity of the Yorkshire villslge of Horbury was "somewhat rudely interrupted by certain grotesque proceedings in connection with “Nut’s Wedding Day.” The individual popularly known as “Nut” is a Horbury man, who follows the calling of boatman, and about three weeks previous to his marriage he began courting one of his female acquaintances, the “ askings,” as the banns are locally designated, being “ put up” on the same day that the courtship began, and the wedding taking place on the asking. So far there was nothing unusual injtbe proceedings, but a boatman’s wedding, like those of more exalted personages, is not an every-day occurrence, and Nut’s friends determined that the" traditional rights and ceremonies connected with such occasions should be faithfully observed. Accordingly, at five o’clock on the morning of the wedding-day a number of musicians, accompanied by a large crowd of villagers, proceeded to the residences of the affianced couple, where they played several sacred airs. After this there was a substantial breakfast, at which “Nut,” his intended, and a large number of friends were present, the etiquette customary on such occasions being faithfu,lly observed. Breakfast over, a commodious dray made its appearance in the street, the vehicle being provided with seats for the wedding party. Among the occupants of the dray were twelve men wearing cocked hats, and profusely adorned with paper stars, roses and streamers. At the end of the dray was a large crimson banner, the horses drawing the vehicle being gayly caparisoned. In this style the wedding party proceeded to a public house near the church, where they descended from the conveyance and walked to the sacred edifice. Here the wearers of the cocked hats, together with the bearer of the crimson banner, were refused admittance, and the wedding ceremony,despite several unseemly interruptions, was performed during their absence. Of the saturnalia which succeeded the return of the wedding party from the church the less said the better; it was not a thing of which the friends of the English workingman could feel proud. Such eccentric weddings are not, however, of very unusual occurrence. There is scarcely a clergyman in any part of the United Kingdom, especially in the manufacturing districts, who cannot relate some curious incidents or observances in connection with certain weddings at which he officiated. Some few years ago a somewhat picturesque procession might have been met in one of the most densely populated parts of the metropolis. It consisted of a dozen couples, headed by a newly-married pair, who were returning from the ehurch in which the wedding ceremony had been performed. The members of the procession were profusely adorned with artificial flowers, the men wearing garlands round their hats, while in front of the bride and bridegroom marched the father of the bride triumphantly carrying something like a small May-pole*.' Upon inquiry, it appeared that both husband and wife, as well as their friends, were artificial flower makers. On another occasion the clergyman was astonished at finding an old tin coffee-pot forming a prominent object in the wedding procession, which slowly marched down one of the , aisles toward the chancel. Still more astonished was the worthy minister when, the wedding ceremony over, the whole of the party knelt down and, with the antiquated coffee-pot in their midst, sang a hymn or thanksgiving. At first he began to entertain grave doubts as to their sanitjv but a few words qf explanation speedily set his mind at-'rest. It appeared that after the death of the bridegroom’s father, a man of most eccentric habits, no traces could be discovered of some money whi h he was known to have secretly saved. Unwilling to marry his sweetheart Until lie was enabled to provide a home for her, the son determined to proceed to America to seek his fortune, and with that view began clearing out the few articles of furniture left hinj by his* father. Among these was an old coffee-pot, which he kicked contemptuously from "him. In so doing the lid fell off ani a sovereign rolled out. This led to an examination of the contents of the despised utensil, which were found to consist of bank notes and coin to the amount of nearly-£2OO. Of course there was no more talk of going to America, and asTtor the coffee-pot it became regarded as a precious-heirloom. The butcher fraternity were formerly notor iou s for the noisy manner in whi ch they celebrated the wedding of one of their number, and there are many -people who can yet remember the grotesque of a butcher’s wedding procession, headed by a score of stalwart butchers’, lads, creating a most terrific din with the aid of cleavers and marrowbones. These proce.ssions have become things of the past, but the marrowbones and cleaver concerts are still performed in front of the residences of newly-married couples, to the frantic rage, of all who re-

side within hearing of the unearthly noise. The London dustmen were at one period a rather numerous and powerful body, and the marriage of one of their body was celebrated in peculiar fashion, the now obsolete handbells used by them being called into active requisition. 6n one occasion a procession of dust-carts, filled with women and children attired in holiday clothing and preceded by half a dozen instrumental performers, accompanied the bridal party on their way to church. But the use of bells in connection with marriage celebrations was most frequent in Lancashire, where the campanology has long formed a popular form of amusement, and it is related of one newlywedded campanologist that he and his bride were nearly driven mad by the incessant sound of the bells rung by his friends *on his wedding-day. Bells at daybreak, bells at breakfast, bells at church, bells at dinner, bells at tea; it was beHs, bells, bells, nothing hut bells, even after the midnight hour had struck, until he must have dreamed himself the hero of Poe’s famous poem. Perhaps, however, the oddest wedding was that of a couple in the North of England, where the bride made her appearance in a dirty, tattered gown, the bridegroom having, in a fit of passion, solemnly sworn that he would marry none but a beggar woman. Of course the unseemly raiment was discarded immediately after the ceremony was performed.— London Graphic.