Under the Greenwood Tree was the first book that Thomas Hardy wrote, it was the most true to the life he knew and was the most cheerful of all his novels. The music is that which he grew up with, but bearing in mind that even these days Dorset is mainly rural and still about 30 years behind the rest of the UK, it isn't mainstream. In fact, there are very few songs and tunes from that era and from Dorset that weren't collected/notated by the Hardy family. When making a film, most directors/producers aren't going to "waste" time and money in finding authentic music - how many times has King Arthur galloped across the screen to the strains of a Tudor love song?

I'm not sure about the inappropriate kissing bit, but it was the tradition in rural areas to not marry the girl until the first child (or son) had been at least concieved, if not born. This is backed up by the baptism registers and parish records of the time. It wasn't until the mid-late Victorian period that it was considered naughty to have sex before marriage.

Squeaky