Bundling (tradition)

Bundling, or tarrying, is 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. Some Nebraska Amish may still practice it. When used for courtship, the aim is to allow intimacy without sexual intercourse.

It is possible the precedent for bundling came from the biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, in which Ruth, a young widow, and Boaz, an older wealthy landowner, spend a night together in a grain storage room while not touching; the pair later get married.

Traditionally, participants were adolescents, with a boy staying at the residence of the girl. They were given separate blankets by the girl's parents and expected to talk to one another through the night. Occasionally a bundling board or bundling sack was placed between the boy and girl to discourage sexual conduct.

In colonial America, Jonathan Edwards and other preachers condemned bundling; yet the practice continued into the period of the early Republic, when if beds were scarce, travelers occasionally were permitted to bundle with locals. This seemingly strange practice allowed extra money to be made by renting out half a bed. Some hotels rented rooms for the night, shared by many occupants, and sharing a bed entailed an additional fee.

It is possible that, as late as the mid-19th century, bundling was still practiced in New York state and perhaps in New England, though its popularity was waning. The court case of Graham v. Smith, 1 Edm.Sel.Cas. 267 (N.Y. 1846), for example, initially argued before Judge Edmunds in the Orange Circuit Court of New York, 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 seems to have disappeared almost everywhere, with only isolated mentions of the practice amongst the Amish in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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