OLD ENGLISH CUSTOM

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 159, 21 June 1935, Page 15

OLD ENGLISH CUSTOM

Winner’s “Cave Man” Methods HUMOURS OF THE COURT Three married couples sought to convince a jury of six maidens and six bachelors at Dunmow, Essex, at this year’s Court, that they had been married for at least a year and a day without once quarrelling. The occasion was the trials for the famous Dunmow flitch of bacon, which has been held each year from times iong ago. The competing couples were Air. and Mrs. E. G. Wells, Air. and Mrs. R. Evans, and Air. and Mrs. G. W. McKaig. This year tho trial was held at Feakes Memorial Hall, and the judge was Colonel T. Gibbons. “It is qcite dear,” said the judge, “that in the early days of this custom it was not contemplated that anyone could keep it up without quarrelling much longer than a year and a day.” Air. and Mrs. E. G. Wells, of Besson street, New Cross Gate, London, assured the court that they had been married happily for 48 years and hoped there would be another 48. Whereupon their counsel, Mr. F. N. Windgent, in Pickwickian style, declared, “One of the most beautiful love stories I have ever heard, showing the joys of lite at the fireside.” Air. Wells, rosy-cheeked and whitehaired, described their happy life, at which relation the judge was observed to be deeply affected. Air. Wells told how he and his wife, as Band of Hope children, fished together for newts. He also achieved matrimony without the ordeal of proposing, so one-minded were he and his wife. “Do you call that marrying or snatching?” asked Air. Davies, counsel for the flitch. “It worked all right,’’ said Air. Wells. On their honeymoon, added Air. Wells, they had oysters and ice cream. Mr. Davies told the jury that Air. Wells snatched his wife and was trying to .snatch the bacon. The judge referred to the cavo man methods, and said that Air. Wells seemed to be the driver, fireman and guard all rolled into one, and Mrs. Wells was the perfect. passenger. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in favour of Air. and Airs. Wells, who were awarded a flitch, and were carried in triumph through the village to the music of a band. The Rev. P. E. T. Widdrington, the court chaplain, recalled that the flitch ceremony dated from the ancient custom of liand-facting, which was a temporary union in which the man and woman agreed to live together for a year and a day and were then free to part. The flitch was instituted to com-

bat it. Colonel Gibbons, summing up in the case of Mr. and Mrs. Evans, said that courtship was carried on under difficulties over the counter of a post office. They too, were awarded a flitch. The flitch was also awarded to Air. and Mrs. G. W. McKaig.