Weird Tradition of 1800s : Pregnancy as a ticket to marriage

Do you know, getting pregnant before marriage in the 1800s England, was a necessity for the brides and not an accident. The pregnancy was notably considered as the key to get married as fertile brides were the only ones considered for marriage by the upper caste. 

The brides often tended to live with their husbands and maintain an intimate relationship before marriage. This was done to make sure the brides are viable and healthy enough to give birth. 

According to some of the reports from that era, it has been noted that almost 40% of brides of that time were pregnant when they walked down the aisle. This tradition may seem graceful to the generation today, but was often seen as something very normal during the 1800s. 

These marriages were titled as ‘Trial Marriages’ and played an important role as a marriage tradition during that time. They acted as a perfect solution for estimating the fertility of the ladies and their ability to bear a child. 

SIGNIFICANCE OF TRIAL MARRIAGES

Trial Marriages were not just about getting married and testing if the woman could carry a child. These marriages made sure that the relationship between the couple could sustain for years as it provided the couple an opportunity to understand each other better. 

Though the idea sounds thoughtful at first glance, it was focused more on making sure that the legacy of the groom or the bloodline does not face any problems after marriage due to infertility or similar issues. Due to this, the women of the Victorian era often faced challenges to prove their fertility and get married. 

During the 1800s science and technology were still blooming and there was still a lot to explore for the scientists, and hence a trustworthy diagnosis of infertility or contraception were almost non-existent. 

IS THERE ANY PROOF OF TRIAL MARRIAGES

While many historians, or people interested in studying about the Victorian period and British affairs, might argue about the genuineness of the tradition. It is to be noted that there are many scriptures and parish registrars which prove that almost one third of brides were pregnant before marriage. 

This tradition of getting pregnant before marriage notably increased only during the 1800s, as records from earlier centuries predict an almost half the number of pregnant marriages.

SOCIALPRESSURE

The tradition itself sounds strange to those hearing it today, but the importance lies that what the brides of 1800s would have suffered from. The tradition which forced the couple to be in an intimate relationship, was due to the pressure from society and groom’s family to make their bloodline stronger. 

These traditions often impose an unintentional stress over the brain, causing the women to think of their capabilities and prove their fertility in order to stand a place in society. 

HOW WAS PREGNANCY TESTED IN 1800S ENGLAND?

Urine played a key role in diagnosing pregnancies in women during the Victorian era. A famous practice, which is named as the Kyesteine Pellicle method, was used to test pregnancy in women. 

In this method, the urine was checked for an early pregnancy membrane. This membrane is a sticky film that forms on the surface of urine after it stays in a vessel for several days. 

While this was a famous method during the era, doctors also tested pregnancy with a similar practice involving Urine. Under this method, the colour of the urine was used to predict the pregnancy. 

According to the doctors, the colour of the urine, if depicted a clear pale lemon colour, which leans towards an off-white tone and having clouds on its surface. 

EVOLUTION OF PREGNANCY TESTS WITH TIME 

With the passage of time, the tests for pregnancy have evolved to more reliable, accurate and affordable methods which can now be performed at home. 

Since the Victorian era, the pregnancy was tested only through examining colours of Urine or sticky film method. However, it was the early 20th century, which introduced a change leading to more research and establishment of more advanced methods, which are still in use across the world. 

1920s

During 1927, the pregnancy was tested by injecting a woman’s urine into a rabbit and then observing a change in it’s ovaries. The change in ovaries often occurred due to the presence of high amounts of female pregnancy hormones like Progesterone, Estrogen, and Human Chorionic Gonadotrophins (hCG).

These hormones often affected the rabbit’s ovaries to undergo rapid changes and grow in size. While this acted as a reliable indication of pregnancy, the process still was time consuming and required skilled technicians for the procedure to be performed. 

1960s 

It was this time, when scientists brought a revolutionizing change in pregnancy tests. Now, the pregnancy was tested through the Hemagglutination Inhibition Test. This test involved testing of the urine along with a purified sample of hCG and antibodies against hCG. 

1970-2003

The research during this period paved the way to one of the most successful and reliable pregnancy tests, which has been in practice till date. The test was launched by Clearblue, and they stated it as the first ‘rapid’ test, providing a result in just 30 minutes. 

Clearblue then introduced an enhanced version of the same test, which they named as ‘lateral flow’ test and it is in practice till date.

The tests produce reliable result from the first day after a missed period. These tests could be performed from the ease of the home as they were based on dye activated molecules and not over animal cells. 

The tradition of pregnancy before marriage though seems awkward for today’s generation, it still played a crucial role in the Victorian era to prove the fertility of women.  

At the same time, this also highlights the challenges that were being faced by the people of 1800s England in terms of pregnancy diagnosis and creating possible treatments for the diseases related to pregnancy.