Historical wedding comes to Pennsbury Manor

Pennsbury Manor in Falls hosted the Sotcher wedding nearly 300 years ago, and hosted the same wedding again on Sunday.

The only difference between the two weddings is that the first one was real; Sunday?s was a re-enactment.

Oh, and William Penn made a debut on both occasions.

?This is a re-enactment we do every year,? said Neil Farber, the actor playing William Penn at the wedding.

?The Sotcher wedding took place here. These are real people that actually did live here, we just want to use that as a backdrop so people can experience what a 17th century experience would feel like,? Farber said, as the vivacious locks of hair on his William Penn wig fluttered in the breeze.

John Sotcher was the steward at Pennsbury Manor in the 17th century, and Mary Lofty was the housekeeper.

According to Jacui Pearson, a tour guide at Pennsbury Manor, the two were wed prior to William Penn leaving the house in their care.

?Before William Penn went back to England, he left the house in the care of Mary and John. They were engaged to be married, and being a man of right mind, he wanted to be sure they were married before he left, so they did a hurry-up wedding to get things done,? Pearson said.

During the yearly re-enactment, guests are invited to sign the wedding certificate, watch 17th century Quaker wedding customs and engage in conversations with William Penn and others.

Among the guests was 13-year-old J.D. Whitworth, who traveled from Auburn, Ala., with his family. They are relatives of John Sotcher.

?It?s really cool, William Penn is someone so important, and they were actually related to me. It?s just really cool to think about,? Whitworth said.

For more information, or to visit the Pennsbury Manor, visit http://www.pennsburymanor.org/.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49409912/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_pa_nj/

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