|
More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
|
Gretna Green
|
|
(16km/10m NW of Carlisle) Village just over the border into Scotland which benefited greatly from the Marriage Act of 1753, prohibiting in England 'clandestine' marriages – meaning those solemnized outside authorized Christian places of worship. Also known as Fleet marriages, such ceremonies had traditionally been conducted by clergy who were in the *Fleet prison for debt. It was this abuse which was now stopped. Scottish law required only a declaration in front of witnesses, and the blacksmith's anvil at Gretna Green became the fashionable location for runaway couples. From 1856 a new law required one of the pair to live in Scotland for three weeks, and in 1940 these marriages were declared illegal. But the anvil is still there and is still a powerful centre of attraction.
|
|
|
|