Bundling (tradition)
Encyclopedia
Bundling, or tarrying, was the traditional practice of wrapping one person in a bed accompanied by another, usually as a part of courting behavior. The tradition is thought to have originated either in the Netherlands
or in the British Isles
and later became common in Colonial America
, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch Country
. When used for courtship, the aim was to allow intimacy without sexual intercourse
.
As late as the mid-19th century, there are indications that bundling was still practiced in New England
, although its popularity was waning. The court case of Graham v. Smith, argued before Judge Edmunds in the Orange Circuit Court of New York State in 1846, concerned the seduction
of a 19-year-old woman. Testimony in the case established that bundling was a common practice in certain rural social circles at the time. By the 20th century, bundling as a practice seemed to have died out almost everywhere, with only isolated references to it occurring in Amish
Pennsylvania.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
or in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and later became common in Colonial America
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
. When used for courtship, the aim was to allow intimacy without sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Courtship practice
Traditionally, participants were adolescents, with a boy staying at the residence of a girl. They were given separate blankets by the girl's parents and expected to talk to one another through the night. The practice was limited to the winter and sometimes the use of a bundling board, placed between the boy and girl, ensured that no sexual conduct would take place. More often, this rule was merely implicit, and was not always honored.In the United States
The practice of bundling continued in the early United States, where in the case of a scarcity of beds, travelers were occasionally permitted to bundle with locals. This seemingly strange practice allowed extra money to be made by renting out half a bed. Hotels rented rooms for the night, shared by many occupants, and sharing a bed entailed an additional fee.As late as the mid-19th century, there are indications that bundling was still practiced in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, although its popularity was waning. The court case of Graham v. Smith, argued before Judge Edmunds in the Orange Circuit Court of New York State in 1846, concerned the seduction
Seduction (tort)
The tort of seduction was a civil wrong in common law legal systems. An unmarried woman could sue with the tort of seduction to obtain damages from her seducer, if her consent to sex was based upon his misrepresentation.-Legal basis:...
of a 19-year-old woman. Testimony in the case established that bundling was a common practice in certain rural social circles at the time. By the 20th century, bundling as a practice seemed to have died out almost everywhere, with only isolated references to it occurring in Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
Pennsylvania.
External links
- Excerpts from Night Life of the Pennsylvania Dutch
- Folk Lore of the Pennsylvania Germans
- The Art of Bundling: Being an Inquiry into the Nature and Origins of that Curious but Universal Folk-Custom, with an Exposition of the Rise & Fall of Bundling in the Eastern Part of North America. By Dana Doten, 1938
- "Bundling" in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
- The original bundlers: Boaz and Ruth, and seventeenth-century English courtship practices - Critical Essay - Journal of Social History, Spring, 2002, by Yochi Fischer-Yinon