21/10/2026
Before 1754 Gretna Green was a quiet farming village, the first stop over the Scottish border. Then England’s Marriage Act made parental consent compulsory for couples under 21. In Scotland, a simple declaration in front of witnesses was enough, and the race north began.
Runaway couples arrived day and night, seeking the glow of the village forge. The blacksmith, one of the village’s most respected figures, became their unlikely wedding official. Three questions were asked: Are you single? Are you over 16? Do you take each other as husband and wife? Then the hammer struck the anvil, forging the couple together.
These blacksmiths became known as “Anvil Priests”, though none were ever ordained. The last, Richard Rennison, married 5,147 couples before anvil weddings were outlawed in 1940.
Yet Gretna Green hadn’t had a working blacksmith for more than 150 years, until this September. The new Blacksmith’s Forge welcomes resident blacksmith Joe, bringing the heat and sparks back to where it all began.
To learn more about Gretna Green and The Blacksmith’s Forge visit the link in our bio.