The History of Weddings at Gretna Green.

I live in Rockcliffe, on the Solway Firth in south-west Scotland, just over an hour's drive away from Gretna Green, so I felt compelled to research the history of weddings there!

Gretna Green's fame dates back to the 12th century, when marriage required minimal ceremony. A man would go to a woman’s house, claim her, and take her home as his wife.

For centuries, the Church sought control over the “irregular” situation, gradually introducing ceremony into marriage. In 1563, the Church sought to integrate religion into marriage by requiring a priest's consent for legal unions. Civil law recognised a simpler form: in a civil "marriage by declaration" or "handfasting" ceremony, a couple became married by joining hands before witnesses and expressing their wish to marry independently of the church.

Langholm, a border town near Gretna Green, hosted a Handfasting Fair where couples could enter a year’s trial marriage until the 18th century. On the greensward by the stream, a lover and his lass clasped hands, vowing to remain faithful for twelve months. Their commitment lasted only a year. Once a year had elapsed, they had to make a decision. If the answer were yes, the system would declare them a married couple; if not, they would part ways.

The system issued certificates, or 'marriage lines', without requiring a written record, which led to legal difficulties. Most unions were love matches, but the system encouraged abuse by fortune-hunters and bigamists. One could pay dishonest clergy to falsify documents, alter dates, or commit perjury.

The aristocracy and gentry were concerned about this legal situation affecting inheritance, worried that destitute adventurers might entice their daughters and heiresses into marrying without parental consent.

The area around Fleet Prison in London became a hub for “quickie” marriages as unscrupulous parsons, imprisoned for debts, performed ceremonies for payment. Initially held in the prison chapel, marriages later occurred in one of the sixty “Fleet marriage rooms” nearby.

Business competition was fierce, with touts accosting couples, asking, “Do you wish to be married? Just step inside, and I’ll do the job for you.” Instant marriages happened at all hours, leading to many genuine unions but also acts of drunkenness, seduction, and bigamy. Marriage certificates were often backdated to please parents or legitimise children, and records show parsons remarrying the same man up to four times under different names. This outraged England's establishment, which fought to outlaw "fleet weddings".

In 1754, Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act was passed, which tightened England’s marriage laws and ended Fleet weddings. All English weddings were now required to occur in a church, and couples under 21 needed parental consent. In Scotland, this law was not applicable; there, anyone could be joined in union in a handfasting ceremony acknowledged by Scottish legislation.

In Scotland, couples over 16 needed only to declare their intentions to marry in front of two witnesses, making Hardwicke’s plans futile. He helplessly observed the romantic revolution among 18th-century England's youth as many young couples fled to Gretna Green.

Scotland’s refusal to adopt the Act created a loophole for young people wanting to marry. Scots and English Law Lords debated this for 186 years until Scots outlawed ‘handfasting’ ceremonies, which remained valid until 1940.

The Church and society found Gretna Green weddings scandalous and immoral, yet no legal or moral reprimand could stifle their allure. The last ‘Blacksmith Priest’, Richard Rennison, noted with irony that his name spelt “No Sinner” in reverse!

In the early 18th century, the Church rebuked and fined parishioners for perceived sins. The minister harshly reproved those on the repentance stool, and people feared the Church's power.

The Church denounced non-clerical marriages as “irregular” and barred participants from privileges. To be readmitted and regain sacraments, ‘sinners’ had to sit on the Repentance Stool and face public reprimands. They would participate in an Orthodox marriage ceremony, baptise any children, and then formally readmit them as full members. The ban did not deter the Scots; they took advantage of a privilege conferred by their country’s law, likely because it was economical and straightforward. Records from the Gretna Church in 1731 reveal that they rebuked seven couples for irregular marriage and imposed a fine of half a guinea on each individual.

Locals denounced the Gretna Green ceremonies as immoral and disgusting. A public meeting in Carlisle on 21st May 1856 aimed to suppress the Gretna Green weddings and resulted in the Lord Brougham Act of 1856. The ‘cooling-off act’ required one partner to live in the parish for 21 days before marrying. While it slowed down anvil weddings, the clever and romantic residents of Gretna Green found ways around it.

Locals would conceal a fugitive for 21 days, while farmers would overlook strangers seeking temporary shelter in their barns. In his youth, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, who was familiar with Gretna Green weddings, eloped to Scotland. After a 37-year unhappy marriage, some believe he aimed to help young couples avoid similar mistakes, prompting him to implement the ‘cooling off’ requirement.

After nearly two centuries of romantic history, Gretna Green's anvil weddings became illegal in 1940 due to Church pressure on Parliament, ending ‘marriage by declaration’ (handfasting) ceremonies. The wedding trade declined; however, couples under 21 in England needed consent to marry. They flocked to Gretna Green to wed at the age of 16, even in a registry office. Numerous visitors came to the Famous Blacksmith's Shop to receive blessings on their vows at the anvil.

In the 1970s, the ‘Cooling Off’ Act was repealed, lowering the age of consent to 18 in England, while Scotland's threshold remained at 16. In the mid-1980s, a determined bride, whose grandmother married in the Famous Blacksmiths Shop, received permission for a religious ceremony there. Today, Gretna Green weddings are popular among couples globally.

The Blacksmiths' Shop in Gretna Green has been a central feature of marriage in the UK for centuries. Constructed in 1713, the Blacksmiths' Shop sits at the intersection of five historic coaching roads, which serve as crucial routes between Scotland and England.

From 1754, young couples were met at the crossroads at Gretna Green by the ‘Blacksmith's Priest’ – the local blacksmith who conducted ceremonies over the famous marriage anvil in his small shop, witnessed by his wife and sympathetic locals. To seal the marriage, the Blacksmith would strike the anvil. The ringing sound would echo through the village, signifying that another couple had joined in marriage.

Many infamous 'chases' occurred along the coaching route to Gretna Green, with fathers pursuing couples throughout the night, always arriving too late. Village residents helped runaways, and inns along the route 'accidentally' delayed pursuers, allowing couples to reach Gretna Green safely.

For example, in 1771, John Edgar from St. Mary’s Parish and Jean Scott of Wetheral intended to run away to Gretna Green to escape marriage regulations.  They rode to Carlisle, but Jean’s father organised a pursuit. Knowing the area better, he reached the crossroads to ambush them. After being warned, they headed to the coast. A storm brewed at Burgh-by-Sands, but they convinced sailors to help them reach Scotland.

As they crossed the Solway Firth, Jean’s father and his men followed. The storm capsized the boat, drowning one man and forcing Jean’s father to abandon the chase. Thanks to their crew's skill, Jean and John reached Scotland. Wet and sandy, they travelled from Browhouses to Gretna Green, where Joseph Paisley, the Anvil Priest, married them the next day.

Another story goes that Mr. S. from Crookholm refused his son, under 21, permission to marry without consent. Tired of his son’s persistence, Mr. S. locked him in a room. The groom escaped up the chimney, off the roof, and to Miss W’s home. He tried to catch her attention, but she didn't recognise him beneath the soot! In a husky voice, he asked for soap and water. After a delay, she provided them. Overjoyed, Miss W saw her true love clearly. They quickly made wedding plans and ran away to marry in Gretna Green, where Mr. S’s consent wasn't needed.

Today, Gretna Green enjoys global recognition, with its famous anvil symbolising romance and serving as an essential emblem for wedding ceremonies. Legend has it that touching the anvil brings good fortune in love.