Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-02-15
GRFTNA GREEN.
Some Interesting Facts About Scotch
Marriages iva Their Historical,
Legal aad Social Relations

Legal aad Social Relations.
SO many popular traditions have
been DESTROYED Of late that il is not sur-
prisiug TO learn that the legend of the
marrying blacksmith Of Gretna Green
must be dismissed with other myths,
and along with him 4 number of the
picturesque incidents associated with
that metropolis of Scotch marriages,
the Camden oft5reat Britain. y writer
IN the P1T Nail G0Eefte relates a visit
20 the famous village. which, as every
body knows, is Just across the border,
not much more than gunshOt distance
beyond the imaginary line separating
North from South Britain. IL is about
i've miles northwest of Carlisle, and
perhaps three miles east of Amman and
southeast Of EcClefeChan. There -
both a Gretua and a trrCtna Green
station. The visitor aIights at the lat
ter, a very quiet little place, with only
few hOmely. comfortable - looking
houses, plain stone or whitewashed.
AS q considerable number Of Ameri-
cans and other eNcursiOnist5 lind their
way % the village IN the course Of the
wear, a visitor scarcely eXcItes any at
V.utiou at all. " Tie writer called upon
ze Registrar or Births, Deaths and
lJrriages, who has resided in the vii
s,e FOR MANY years, and by whom the
interviewer had his questions answered
as fast As he could ask them, ''in Scotch
~ good and rich as If we were seventy
miles instead OF less than one across
the border"
But. 5Ir. Eer,'' I said after ten
minutes miscellaneous gossip, You
surely don't mean To tell me, profess
,i0ual rivalry and all that kind OF thing
apart, that there never was such n mar
ryIug blacksmith aS I have mentiOnedrn
"\O, there never was" answered
the Registrar. Who ] understand per
forums the duties OF his Office more for
occupation than anything else, aud is a
genial and genuine ScOtchman every
inch of hun.
But come, lie reasonable. Why, |
have seen the blacksmith, the anvil and
the glowing tUIEc lots of times in PIC
tuyes, one place and another. Besides
he is described I'm Chambers Eucyclu-
Ieiia. and that's scotch work, YOU
know"
Never mind. its right what l tell
yuu. The blacksmith II all imaCin-
alton. The notion has arisen from the
hot pursuit after those who made these
runaway marriages, the red-hOt speed
Ir which everything WIS done and the
burning ardor OF the bridal pair.
>DorCH NNREINGEs.
''N0w, viii You please tell me, NTr.
keT, something about what has been
dlue here IN the Nav Of marrying, who
did 10 and where it WIS dones"
"Well, Gretua Green, being like Cold
the border, was yeaIs ago "A very con-
venient place for those who wished 20
get married without leave. Its near
ness 10 Carlisle was also an advantage.
The Scotch law made no bother about
bans, parental consent, presence of
clergyman or the contracting parties
beng under age; all that was needed
was that the two TUn3ways should IN
the presence of witnesses take one an
other 10 be husband and wife, and they
were properly enough married aud the
marriage could not be disputed in Eng
land. ~
That is, OF course, not now the state
of the Scotch lawt'
NO, the act Of 1851 made residence
in Scotland for twenty-One days-oveT
three Sundays-obligator on the part
either of the man or the woman wish |
ing TO get married, but all the other in
matters hold good"
THAT is, If the prospective bride |
groom holidays in Scot ID for three
weeks and on the tweuty-second day
his sweetheart comes down from Eng
land by the mail they can be married
without let or hindranceI''
"QUite so. Tears ago the number of
marriages taking place here was very
high. Between 1915 and 1850, Murray,
of Ioll-bar, alone married over 6,OOO,
and there were other 'marriers' practiC-
ing at the same time. Lord Erskine's
name is still to be seen on the book up
at Springfield. OF course, anybody
could marry the flying couples, but
certain men were nearly always pat
ronIZed TO the exclusion Of outsiders. "
THE BUSINESS NOT EXTINCT.
"And how about marriages nowadays
ut Gretnag"
''Oh yes, there are still some. Willie
Lang, the post-runner (Anglice, post
mani has perhaps married n dozen
couples these last twelve months. He
has register which goes a hundred
years back. There used TO be six or
seven 'marriers, - but Willie gets almost
all the work now. He's first-rate at
tender 70 his everyday duties too; my
letters are delivered every morning reg
ularly 10 the minute, and have been for
years"
who are his clients, and what do
they pay.'
Mainly servants who come over after
Carlisle Fair, but there are of course
others. The marriages usually take
place ut term time. Willie charges
variOusly. Sometimes five shillings,
sometimes seven shillings six pence;
occasionally he may get two, three or
five guineas. The parties Just engage
a room ut public house, and after they
have signed Willie Lang's roll he gives
the bride i certificate. If her husband
deserts her she can bring him to,
through the courts, Just like IN Ordin-
ary wife, and make him support her.
The children are, of course, legitimate.
The Gretna Green marriages are. in
fact, almost the opposite of morganatic
alliances. In the government returns
they are set down rs irregular mar
riages.' One Of their disadvantages Is
that they preclude the children from
being bapuzed and from other church
privileges but these can be remedied
by the parties 10 a marriage here going
before the sheriff and getting an author
iZatlOu for me TO enter II in my re-
turns ~
While waiting at the station for the
Carlisle train l asked the intelligent
booking clerk about the irregular mar.
riages" Of those who ''rin over the
merch." She said: They are no,
thought respectable; the people who
get married here are manly farm ser
wants, think"