The Tradition of Betrothal Rings

The betrothal of a young couple was formerly attended with considerable ceremony, a portion of which was the exchange of rings. Shakspeare alludes to this in the play of "Twelfth Night:"

"Strengthened by the interchangement of your rings."

We have a similar thing in "Two Gentlemen of Verona:"

Julia. "Keep this remembrance for thy Julia's sake."

Proteus. "Why then we'll make exchange; here, take you this."

(Giving a ring.)

Julia. "And seal the bargain with a holy kiss."

This betrothing, affiancing, espousal or plighting troth between lovers was sometimes done in church with great solemnity; and the service on this occasion is preserved in some of the old rituals.

The virgin and martyr, Agnes, in Ambrose, says: "My Lord Jesus Christ hath espoused me with his ring."

This interchangement of rings appears in Chaucer's "Troilus and Cresseide:"

"Soon after this they spake of sondry things

As fitt to purpose of this aventure,

And playing enterchangeden of rings

Of whom I can not tellen no scripture.

But well I wot, a broche of gold and assure

In which a rubie set was like an herte,

Creseide him gave, and stacke it on his sherte."

In Germany, a loving couple start on the principle of reciprocity and exchange rings. This is not done at the time of the marriage ceremony, but previously when the formal betrothment takes place, which is generally made the occasion of a family festival. The ring thus used is not called a wedding ring, but Trau ring, which means ring of betrothal. A particular ring does not form part of the ceremony of marriage. Royalty, however, appears to go beyond the common custom of the country, even in a marriage. At the late marriage of the Emperor of Austria, the Prince Archbishop of Vienna, who performed the ceremony, took rings from a golden cup and presented them to the august couple, who, reciprocally, placed them on each other's finger; and, while either held the hand of the other, they received the episcopal benediction.

In the early Christian Church a ring of troth, the annulus pronubus, was given by the man to the woman as a token and proof of her betrothment.

Pope Nicholas, A. D. 860, in the account which he gives of the ceremonies used in the Roman Church, says: "In the espousals, the man first presents the woman whom he betroths with the arrae or espousal gifts; and among these, he puts a ring on her finger." This ring, which may be traced back to the time of Tertullian, appears to have come into the Christian Church from Roman usage; although the Oriental ring of betrothment may have been the origin of both.

According to the ritual of the Greek Church, the priest first placed the rings on the fingers of the parties, who afterwards exchanged them. In the life of St. Leobard, who is said to have flourished about the year 580, written by Gregory of Tours, heappears to have given a ring, a kiss and a pair of shoes to his affianced. The ring and shoes were a symbol of securing the lady's hands and feet in the trammels of conjugal obedience; but the ring, of itself, was sufficient to confirm the contract.

It would seem that, on the ceremony of betrothal, the ring was placed on the third finger of the right hand; and it may be a question, whether the beautiful picture by Raffaelle, called Lo Sposalizio, should not be considered as an illustration of espousal or betrothing and not a marriage of the Virgin. Mary and Joseph stand opposite to each other in the centre; the high priest, between them, is bringing their right hands towards each other; Joseph, with his right hand, (guided by the priest,) is placing the ring on the third finger of the right hand of the Virgin; beside Mary is a group of the virgins of the Temple; near Joseph are the suitors, who break their barren wands--that which Joseph holds in his hand has blossomed into a lily, which, according to the legend, was the sign that he was the chosen one.

The same circumstance, of placing the ring on the third finger of the right hand, is observable in Ghirlandais's fresco of the "Espousals" in the church of the Santa Croce at Florence.

There is certainly some confusion as to the hand on which the marriage-ring was placed. However, in religious symbols of espousal, the distinction of the right hand was certainly kept. In an ancient pontifical was an order that the bridegroom should place the ring successively on three fingers of the right hand and leave it on the fourth finger of the left, in order to mark the difference between the marriage-ring, the symbol of a love which is mixed with carnal affection and the episcopal ring, the symbol of entire chastity.

The espousal became the marriage-ring. The espousals consisted in a mutual promise of marriage, which was made by the man and woman before the bishop or presbyter and several witnesses; after which, the articles of agreement of marriage (called tabuloe matrimoniales) which are mentioned by Augustin, were signed by both persons. After this, the man delivered to the woman the ring and other gifts: an action which was termed subarrhation. In the latter ages the espousals have always been performed at the same time as the office of matrimony, both in the western and eastern churches; and it has long been customary for the ring to be delivered to the woman after the contract has been made, which has always been in the actual office of matrimony.