Weddings
In the early part of the 19th century weddings were simple affairs. How ad hoc can be seen by the letter James Balfour (Number 13) wrote to Anne, his bride-to-be: ‘I Propose leaving (Edinburgh) early on Monday morning, so as to be at Glasgow by One o'clock, when the Ceremony can take place about two. But I would not have you at present, make any arrangements either as to this, or any engagements with our friends, until you hear from me again, which you shall by the Saturday evening's post, by which time I shall be able to write with greater precision upon all these points.' His next letter is no less casual about the arrangements, and his ardour is now constrained by a possible delay due to business matters. ‘I hope to reach Glasgow before dinner on Monday. The ceremony can then be either that evening or next morning — the morning would be perhaps best, as I might be late due to business affairs.’ Anne clearly was extremely forbearing. Luckily, the business was swiftly taken care of, and James was there in time for them to be married on the Monday evening.
Unlike this casually arranged wedding, that of Corbet Catty and Caroline Gray had been set well ahead of time. Essential, as Caroline’s sister, Sarah, also was also being married. Catty was at the time a Lieutenant in the 5th regiment West York Militia based in Leeds, and he lodged at Number 42 a few days in advance of the big day. In the 19th. century, almost all weddings took place in the house of the groom or the bride, usually in the morning, and the simple marriage ceremony would be followed by a wedding breakfast with friends at the house of the groom. In this case, Corbet had arranged for the breakfast to take place at his lodgings. So on 4th June 1856, Corbet and the other groom, Captain Francis Grove of the Royal Navy, made their way to the Gray’s house in Regent’s Terrace for the small family ceremony. There the Reverend Dr William Muir of St Stephen's Church joined Corbet and Caroline, and Francis and Sarah, in holy matrimony. Afterwards, the two couples left for their respective wedding breakfasts. It not being far, and one hopes a fine June day, Corbet and Caroline may have walked together to Albany Street to enjoy their wedding breakfast with a small number of friends and relations. Thanks to the fact that Corbet kept a diary of the day and the subsequent honeymoon trip (collection St Andrews University - purchased by the University in 1954 for £2.10s) we have an account of their leaving Number 42 Albany Street after the wedding breakfast. ‘So after having bid adieu to my brother, I descended and found dear Cassy in the embrace of her many friends… the steps were crowded with people and all down the street the balconies were crowded with fair occupants anxious to catch a glimpse of us, the interesting couple. Amid the shakes of many hands, the showering of flowers and the prophetic discharge of slippers, we managed to place ourselves in the chaise – a crack of the whip – off started the horses and we were off – off on a marriage trip – the bride has left a mother’s home and the husband entered on his new duties. My diary is not a place where I could risk describe the various feelings of the moment.’
The diary details their daily activities as they travelled on their honeymoon by train, horse-drawn carriage, steamer and rowing boat from Edinburgh to Bridge of Allan, Perth, Dunkeld, Blair Atholl, Kenmore, Callander, Loch Katrine, Loch Lomond, Inverary and Oban. It includes stuck-in engravings of places they visited and dried flowers. Oddly, the diary ends mid-sentence while the happy couple were halfway down the Crinin Canal, perhaps because the diary was lost.
The following year, the couple returned to Edinburgh for the birth of their first child and lodged at Number 11. Sadly, the baby girl died after four months. However, the couple went on to have three further surviving children. Corbet later spent some time working for the Lord Mayor of London.As now, brides had their wedding trousseaus. Mr Green’s shop in Princes Street advertised ‘Ladies Marriage Outfits’ and emphasised that in stock were recent purchases from London and Paris. This is the wedding dress and a honeymoon going-away dress that were worn by Davida Sutherland when she married John Geddes in 1828 (Number 49). (Image from auction of the dresses by Bonhams in 2009. Thomas McNaught (Number 3) was a solicitor and Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer of the Scottish Home Rule Association (SHRA). In 1888, he had toured America and Canada to raise funds to fight the cause, and in 1896 he set sail for Canada again, this time to take up the post of manager of a new spa complex, the Halcyon Hot Springs Sanatorium Company. On the ship he met Mary Horner, a forty-four-year old school teacher from Lancashire, and the pair fell in love. Their marriage took place in Winnipeg in 1902 and a newspaper account reported: ‘The bride wore a tailor made cream basket cloth, with revers of tucked silk and blouse of lace insertion.’ The wedding reception was held at the house of Thomas’s sister where: ‘from the centre of every room was suspended a perfect bell of pure white sweet peas.’ Four years later, Thomas and Mary returned to Scotland. It may be that McNaught was seriously ill and wished to end his life in Scotland, as he died at the home of his brother in Dumfries soon after. Following his death, Mary took up teaching again in Lancashire until her own death in 1913.
