Yes, and not only that but.....
Posted by Cyndie on September 05, 1998 at 00:07:21:
In response to Gretna Green, written by The Mysterious H.C. on September 04, 1998 at 08:41:55
] From 1754 to 1857, the marriage laws in England and Scotland differed such that a marriage where one or both parties was "under age" (below 21) could go forward without consent of parents/guardians in Scotland, but not in England.
] Gretna Green was just the closest settlement in Scotland from most points in England (it was the first village over the border on the main west-coast road).
In order to be married in England, one either had to wait for the banns to be read, or had to have the influence and the money to obtain a special license. In Scotland, in Jane Austen's day, a couple need only to declare to witnesses their intention of becoming husband and wife for it to be so. This ceremony, abreviated though it may have been, was as binding in England as it was in Scotland. Therefore, young couples in love who had neither the consent of their families nor the money to purchase a license often headed to the border. Any village in Scotland would have served...Gretna Green just happened to be the most convenient.
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