STRANGE BEQUEST
A quaint ceremony is observed at Roydon, in Norfolk (England). About three hundred years a^o, says the "Pall* Mall Gazette," the lord of the manor bequeathed the sum of £1000. the interest from which was to be voted annually to provide dowries for four brides. Under the terms of the bequest the money has to be divided between the youngest,, the eldest, the shortest, and the tallest brides married during the course of each year in the parish church. This entails the "measuring of the bride." After the marriage ceremony the bride and bridegroom proceed to the vestry to sio- n the register, and the bride is then measured by the officiating minister. In order that'her correct stature may be ascertained, she is required to remove her shoes and let down her hair. At the end of the year the marriage records are examined and the dowries awarded to those qualified to receive them.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19230806.2.33
Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 31, 6 August 1923, Page 4
Word Count
156STRANGE BEQUEST Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 31, 6 August 1923, Page 4
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