Intimacy, community and power: bedding rituals in eighteenth-century Scotland

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Bedding rituals were a popular part of the wedding ceremony for early modern Scots, a ‘spatial drama’ which held cultural and emotional meaning. Leaving the couple alone in the bedroom symbolised consummation and, in a culture where church wedding ceremonies were unnecessary, placed sex at the heart of marriage. Such physical movements through space were not just symbolic, but constitutive. As well as creating a marriage, the bedding ritual generated a particular form of emotional intimacy – one that focused on sexual intimacy, family, community and gendered power. While the marriage bedding ritual was only performed once, going to bed as a married couple should be a daily occurrence, promoting this form of intimacy across married life.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEmotion, ritual and power in Europe, 1200-1920
Subtitle of host publicationfamily, church and state
EditorsMerridee L. Bailey, Katie Barclay
Place of PublicationCham, Switzerland
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages43-62
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9783319441856
ISBN (Print)9783319441849
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NamePalgrave Studies in the History of Emotions
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan

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