Live Life Team
Believe it or not, an old blacksmith shop in the Scottish town of Gretna Green could, if it wishes, claim the title of “Las Vegas of the British Isles”. Scottish marriage laws were, until relatively recently, much more relaxed than those in England. As a result, for over 250 years the Scottish border town of Gretna Green became the place to go for a “quickie” wedding. The oldest written marriage certificate is dated June 11, 1772. Who knows how many vows were exchanged before that,
Teenage lovers or those whose parents did not agree with the relationship would sometimes manage to say their vows just before an angry parent burst in the room. Once the words were said, the bond was legal.
The blacksmith shop played its dual role as wedding chapel until 1940. At that time the Scottish marriage laws were changed and the ceremonies had to be moved to the local Registry office.
In 1979 the marriage laws were again changed to allow anyone in Scotland the right to marry in any location. The blacksmith’s shop was back in business. People still come to visit one of Scotland’s earliest attractions. Some come to see the World Famous Old Blacksmith’s Shop Centre, run by Alasdair Houston, great-grandson of the original owner Hugh Mackie. The original marriage room and anvil are on display. Every year more than a thousand couples still say their vows in the tiny room where it all started. Rumours of irate fathers chasing them with shotguns in modern times are most probably highly exaggerated.
