Hatches, Matches and Despatches. Jenny Paschall

      MARRIAGE began in prehistoric times. When a man saw a woman he desired who was from another tribe, he would take her by force. These ‘capture marriages’ were legal in England until the thirteenth century. By that time, when the groom was going to abduct his chosen bride, he would take along his strongest friend or best warrior, in case of trouble with uncooperative relatives. This friend became known as ‘the best man’.

      Later, marriage became more of a trade between the groom and the father. The word ‘wedd’ meant the groom’s pledge to marry in exchange for horses, land, cash, etc. The wedding was the actual exchange of goods. Sometimes the father of the bride would not let the groom see his intended for fear of the deal being cancelled if he disliked the look of her. So when the father gave his daughter away, the groom would lift the veil to see her face for the first time.