If you mention eloping to someone and ask them to think of a location associated with it then there is a good chance that they are going to say eloping to Gretna Green. This is because the small Scottish village is largely considered to be the birthplace of eloping! It all started back in 1753 in England when the Marriage Act was passed into law by Lord Hardwicke. The new law that went into effect on March 25, 1754 meant that couples had to be over the age of 21 to get married without the consent of their parents.
However, the new English law did not apply in Scotland, where marriage at 12/14 was the norm for the time, and that resulted in an increasing number of young couples in England running North of the border to take advantage of the more relaxed marriage laws. Since Gretna Green was the first village over the border and was on the main route from London it was where most of them stopped to tie the knot! Since all the couple needed was two witnesses the blacksmiths or ‘anvil priests’ of the Gretna Green village were more than willing to perform the “irregular marriages” over their anvil.
Why Did Couples Need to Run Away (or Elope)?
So, why did so many couples feel the need to rush into marriage? Well, to put it in the simplest of terms – for many it was about being able to marry for love. In those days it was common for girls to be betrothed to friends or business associates of their fathers. Often these men were much older – of similar age to the girl’s father. If the girl happened to fall in love with someone her own age then the only solution was for the young couple to run off (or elope) to Scotland in order to marry their “true” love and avoid an arranged marriage.
Introducing The ‘Cooling Off’ Act
So called ‘runaway weddings’ in Gretna Green were causing a great deal of controversy in England and over the years a huge amount of pressure was put on Scotland to bring their marriage laws into line with England’s. However, it was not until 1856 that any changes were made. Scotland did not raise the minimum age to marry without consent, but Lord Brougham did introduce a ‘cooling off’ period which meant that at least one half of the couple had to live in Scotland for 21 days in order to legally be married there. This lead to the first lodgings in Gretna Green and ever since the village has been a highly sought after destination for weddings and other visitors.
Today, the age of marital consent is still 16 in Scotland, lower than in the rest of the UK and Gretna Green remains a popular choice for romantic elopements – although these days you do need to book in advance to tie the knot at the famous Blacksmith’s Shop! Read more about eloping by searching hashtag #elope on Twitter at @GretnaGreen1754 or @WhereToElope.
New 3 Part Blog Series:
This Eloping to Gretna Green: The Past blog is the first in a three-part series that we will be publishing over the next few weeks.
So stay tuned to this channel…
Did you know where Eloping began before reading this blog? Please let us know by leaving a comment below.