I'm afraid I can't help, David, but you raise some intriguing questions. What looks to be a usefully scrupulous online presentation of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer appears at http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/, but of course that is too late for Pocahontas. The 1662 wedding ceremony is at http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/occasion/marriage.html. I'll poke around the Web a little further to see if I can find an earlier Anglican marriage rite (1552? 1559?). If not, I'd urge you to contact the librarians at the Virginia Theological Seminary Library in Alexandria (http://www.vts.edu/library/welcome/) to see if they have a copy of the relevant prayer book, or know who does. One of your assumptions, though, is very probably incorrect, judging by the text at http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/occasion/marriage.html : there would not have been an exchange of rings. At least in the period during which the 1662 rite was in use (as it was, I believe, until the late 20th century), only the woman received a ring. I assume this was the norm in all 17th- , 18th- , 19th- , and early-20th-century Anglican/Episcopal marriages in Virginia, therefore, though I'd welcome information from those who know better. (Is there any record of men having worn wedding rings in colonial Virginia, for instance? My impression is that there is not.) Thanks again for an interesting topic. I'll be glad to learn more from others. --Jurretta On Feb 27, 2007, at 4:49 PM, David Kiracofe wrote: > I'm doing some research on Pocahontas and am curious about her wedding > to John Rolfe. I assume the liturgy of the wedding was prescribed in > the Book of Common Prayer then in use, but I'm wondering about little > details that I assume would have been included as early seventeenth > century English wedding customs. Would there be an exchange of rings? > would a bride have carried flowers? I really can't imagine the > English > adapting any native Virginian customs in an Anglican ritual; does that > seem reasonable? > > Any leads or other information will be joyously received. > > David Kiracofe > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html