Will some one of your correspondents (learned in such matters) refer me to
a work treating of the marriage ceremony as performed in this country
during the fourteenth century, in order to the explanation of the following
passages, which refer to an event in English history--the marriage of
Edward I.'s daughter with the Count of Holland? The king's writ to the
Bishop of London speaks of the marriage as about to be celebrated on the
day after the Epiphany, upon which day (as shown by the Wardrobe Account)
the ring was put on; but it was on the next day (the 8th) that the princess
"despon[=s] fuit," as shown by the same account.
In Rymer's _Foedera_, vol. i. p. 850., will be found a writ directed to the
Bishop of London (and others) as follows:
"Quia inter Comitem Holandiæ et Elizabetham, filiam nostram carissimam,
_matrimonium_ hac proxima die Lunæ, _in crastino Epiphaniæ_, apud
Gyppesivicum solempnizari proponimus, Domino concedente," &c.
In the Household Book of King Edward I. for the same year (Add. MS. 7965.)
will be found the following entries, p. 6.:
"_Obla[=t] p'ticipa[=t]._--Terc[=o] die Janu[=ar] in obla[=t]
[p=]ticipatis ad Missam celebr[=a]tam ad magn[=u] altare eccl[=i]a
priorat' [=b]i Pe[=t] in Gippewico die Nupcia[=r] Alienore de Burgo....
vij.
"_Pro Comitessa Holland._--Eodem die (vij Janu[=ar]) in dena[=r] tam
positis su[p=] libr[=u] qi[=n] jactatis [=i]ter homines circumstantes
ad hostium in introitu eccl[=i]e Magne Prioratus pred[=c]i _ubi comes
Hollandie sub.... vit D[=n]am Elizabetham filiam Regis c[=u] anulo
auri...._ lxs.
"Fratribus predicatoribus de Gippewico [p=] ... sua unius diei
videl[=tz] viij _diei Janu[=ar] quo die D[=na] Elizabeth filia R.
despon[=s] fuit_, [p=] M. de Cauford, xiijs. iiijd."