Gretna Green, or the Red-Hot Marriage

A man wearing a soldier's uniform places a ring on the finger of a young woman. They stand before an anvil and a blacksmith witnesses their vows. A fast carriage which has conveyed them across the border from England is visible through the open doorway behind and their driver (groom) stands at right and grins. The 1754 Marriage Act prevented couples in England and Wales under the age of 21 from marrying without parental consent; in addition marriages in England had to be performed in a church (usually after being announced several weeks beforehand). Scottish law, on the other hand, allowed "marriage by declaration" which required only two witnesses and assurances from the couple that both were free. This encouraged those who wished to marry in a hurry, or whose parents refused consent, to travel to Gretna Green, the first village over the Scottish border on the main road north from London.