John, 



 



I can't say for sure that Virginians followed the standard European traditions, but I would imagine they did.  A wedding ring from the groom for the bride is an ancient practice. Wedding rings began to be routinely exchanged in Britain and the continent at least by the 9th century.  



 



I teach European Women's History at Randolph-Macon, and one of the points I drill into my students is that the wedding band may be a symbol of eternal (without end) love NOW, but originally, it was a pledge of a marriage jointure, or dower, by the groom to the bride in case of his early death( land, goods, tools, whatever).  Whether she had sole control over the dower fluctuated by time period and nation, but the ring was the pledge of economic support (the dower), and the exchange was the official ceremony, usually held at the outer door of the church.  Afterwards they may have gone into church and had a mass.  



 



It was not until a century or two later that the mass became the official part of the wedding, and the ceremony was moved inside the church.  So, it would be odd if wedding rings, routinely exchanged back in Britain, would not have been exchanged here.  As far as diamond engagement rings go, I believe that tradition is relatively recent and still not universal, even in the U.S.



 



Pat Watkinson



Library of Virginia / Randolph-Macon College



 



	-----Original Message----- 

	From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history on behalf of [log in to unmask] 

	Sent: Fri 3/25/2005 10:06 AM 

	To: [log in to unmask] 

	Cc: 

	Subject: wedding rings

	

	



	One of our docents asked an interesting question: 

	  In general, when did the modern practice* of wedding rings (left hand, 

	engagement and wedding bands, etc) develop? 

	  Specifically, were wedding rings used in late 18th-century Virginia? If 

	so, how common were they? 



	Jon Kukla 



	*20th-c skillful marketing practices by DeBoors in South Africa certainly 

	helped create expectations and a market..... 







	Dr. Jon Kukla, Executive Vice-President 

	Red Hill - The Patrick Henry National Memorial 

	1250 Red Hill Road 

	Brookneal, Virginia 24528 

	www.redhill.org 

	Phone 434-376-2044 or 800-514-7463 



	Fax 434-376-2647 



	- M. Lynn Davis, Office Manager 

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