February 29th occurs once every four years and with 2020 being a leap year, a woman may want to take this opportunity to propose. Traditionalists believe this custom dates all the way back to the 5th century, when an Irish nun, St Brigid of Kildare, complained to St Patrick that women had to wait far too long for their suitors to propose and wished to take the matter into her own hands.

St Patrick declared that upon this one day being the 29th of February, women were allowed to propose. Irish monks carried the news to Scotland and later in the 13th century, a law was passed that decreed; “any gentleman who refused a proposal on the leap year day must then pay a fine.”

Emma Testill – Catalogue Manager Emma Testill – Catalogue Manager from the Jewellery Department at Fellows Auctioneers

The fine often associated was to gift the lady a pair of gloves, she would wear them to hide her embarrassment at not having received an engagement ring. Nowadays fines like the above are not written into law and women in this modern day and age will no doubt propose whenever and wherever they want to.

Queen Victoria - although not on leap year day - was said to have proposed to Prince Albert; Elizabeth Taylor proposed to at least one of her husbands, Pink proposed to Carey Hart during a motor cross race. Gentleman’s rings, cufflinks and tie pins all feature in our 20th February Jewellery sale and as not all men may want to wear a ring, we have many alternate proposal gifts to take this next exciting step with.

This blog was written by Emma Testill, Catalogue Manager from the Jewellery Department at Fellows Auctioneers