The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-11-08
England's Famous Eiopers'
Haven and Its Romantic
History.
MARRIAGE WAS EASY
In THIS SCOTCH TOWN
Parsons Had Tents and Run
ners to Corral Loves
Victims.

says a bulletin of the National Geo
graphic Society, commenting upon
the London dispatches which tell of
the closing down of the vast cor
dite plants built there early IN the
world war.
To most Americans the words
may never have meant much more
than nickname for any rendez7
vous of clipping couples, but there
is a real Gretna Green. Twice has
it been conspicuous, once when its
chief industry was matrimony, and
again when as wag remarked,
is started making a. new kind of
high explosive.
Now, like Hopewell, Virginia, it
is about to sink into obscurity, with
the end of its war contracts, which
represented an investment of some
$50, 100000 in our money, and the
employment of more than 500 work
ers.
Gretna Green is a village in Scot
land, tiny except for its munitions
boom, less than a mile from the
River Sark, which marks the Eng
land-Scotland boundary line in that
vicinity, near the Solway Firth, and
about nine miles northwest of
Carlisle. Upon its proximity to the
border line rests it's first claim to
fame, for the English marriage laws
sent clipping couples to Scotland
| just as the divorce laws of some
forty-seven of our states make Reno
desirable for would-be Divorces.
Fines Had No Terror
Before the year 1854 Fleet Pris-
on was the fgurative Gretna Green
/ of England. Until that time the
English laws recognized marriages
as valid SO long as they were per-
formed by clergymen of any denom-
nation, but it imposed a fine upon
clergymen who would perform the
ceremony for couples who had not
proclaimed their intentions either
by banns or license.
Such fines had no terrors, of
course, for clergymen imprisoned in
Fleet Prison for debt, and some of
them undertook to marry couples
who wished to avoid the expense of
the customary public ceremony. Less
scrupulous persons soon took advant-
age of this example, and tavern
keepers fitted up places where they
brought couples to be married by
the Elect parsons" and in some
cases, young women of means were
brought there foreibly by soldiers
of fortune, and women of the UNI
derworld lured men there for mar
rage as an easy means of compell-
ing their .husband-victims to pay
their debts.
These absues were checked by
the famousHardwicke act of 1854,
which made unauthorized marriages
voidable, and thereupon Gretna
Green became the romance spot of
the British Isles. All theScotch law
required was that two persons
should declare their intention to be
married in the presence of witnesses
and the British law then, as now,
recognized marriages as legal SO
long as they conformed to thelaws
in the places they were performed
In Gretna Green, as in Fleet pris-
on, were persons who exercised GU
pidity at the expense of Cupid; and
innkeepers, ferrymen and dollhouse
tenders exploited the couples who
fled to Gretna Green. Any wit
nesses would have served but the
professional witnesses" there, like
the marrying parsons" of somt
American towns, engaged "touts'
to bring couples to them, and wher
the railroad from Glasgow to Car
Isle started running the station
platform at Gretna Green throngeC
with these obnoxious Commission
men,"
Many Marriages There
A pioneer of this industry wa
John Linton, formerly valet tt
Sir John Gresham, described as :
imam of fine presence and man
ners," and another, Mr.. Beattie
: was a personable adventurer. Blu
later traffickers were ne'er-do-well
and town drunkards.
! According to popular legend
blacksmith shops were favorite meC
cas- for clipping couples, but author
3 ity is lacking for the stories Q
smities who would pause while shoe
: ing horses to help legalize MARI
: ages. Many famous Englishme
8 were married at Gretna Greer
: among them Lord Eldon and Lor
8 Brougham, both of whom later b,
: came lord chancellor; Charles Mar
liners Sutton, who afterward We
: Archbishop Of Canterbury, and LOI
! WestmoreIand and Miss Child, Il
q latter a daughter Of the man wi
+ founded child's bank.
y During the three decades whe
IS cratna Green flourished. there we