Irregular Border Marriages, Ch 7 157-165

[Sarah Reveley]

APPENDIX

IRREGULAR MARRIAGE REGISTERS

[Mr G. W. Shirley made the first attempt to compile a list of Gretna
Irregular Marriage Registers, and of their present owners. I am indebted to
him for much information. A table is published in Transactions of the
Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Series III.,
vol. xiv.]

1783-1895. The Lang Registers. - Those of David, Simon and William Laing.
Marriages were performed in Springfield. Registers consist of four volumes,
and are in the possession of W. H. Ord, Esq., Solicitor, 9 Swinburne Street,
Gateshead-on-Tyne.

1811-1838. Robert Elliot Register. - Marriages performed at Graitney Hall.
One volume of 600 entries is a duplicate of the early entries in a larger
volume. It is in the possession of Mr J. Linton Armstrong, Dumfries.

1825-1855. The principal part of the John Linton Registers consist of one
large leather book = the register, with 1134 entries; a companion index
volume; a small index of the ladies' names. The certificates arranged in
files. They are in the possession of Murray Little, Esq., Solicitor, Annan.


1832-1845. George McQueen Register. - Marriages conducted at Sark Tollbar.
[There are two bridges over Sark. One is on the old road from Longtown to
Springfield. The toll-house here is on the English side, and never had any
connection with the marriage trade. The tumble-down ale-house, Johnstone's
Tavern, was the nearest "marrying" spot. The first toll-house in Scotland
on this road was at Headless Cross, a mile from the Border. On the new road
to Carlisle was Allison's Bank Tollbar, often called Sarkbridge Toll, on the
Scots side of Sark. John Murray leased several toll-houses from the
Carlisle and Dumfriesshire Road Trustees. He sublet these. His tenants as
well as himself conducted the marriage trade in Allison's Bank or Sarkbridge
Bar at different periods.] 342 entries. The register consists of three
volumes, gifted by Mr G. W. Shirley to the Ewart Public Library, Dumfries.

1843-1865. John Murray Register. - Marriages performed at Allison's Bank or
Sarkbridge Tollbar. Upwards of 6000 entries, contained in six volumes.
These books are in the custody of Messrs Wright, Brown & Strong, Solicitors,
Carlisle.

1843-1862. John Douglas Register. - Marriages performed at Springfield.
910 entries, contained in four volumes. Purchased for Graitney Parish by
the late Mrs Fowle Smith. In the custody of Mr A. Kirkpatrick, The Hill,
Gretna.

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON GRETNA REGISTERS

The oldest Graitney marriage records known are to be found in the Kirkmahoe
Kirk Session Books. The substance is as follows:

In 1733 John Robson, son to Robert Robson in Carzield, proposes to marry
Lilias Thomson, but cannot do so till a claim of promise of marriage by
Elizabeth Stewart is decided. He mentions that John Feed in Duncow asked
him to go to the Red Kirkmiln, [Redkirk Mill in modern parlance. See the
"priest" Scott in Chapter II.] in Annandale, and he would get them married
for a crown.

1740. January 27th. Mary Douglas irregularly married at Graitney Green, by
one said to be of the name of Brown, to deceased Thomas Allan a souldier in
Lord Effingham's Regiment, when it lay at Dumfries, Janv. 1735.

1740. April 20th. James Sharp, Soldier, and Mary Douglas, irregularly
married by "James Brown Minr." Parties know nothing about him but he came
every month to Dumfries to see people if they desired him; his quarters were
in Hudson's on the Sands at Dumfries, guhere they were married. [There is no
parish minister of this name in the Synods of Dumfries or Annan at this
date.]

Appended are some notes made when the Gretna Hall marriage certificates were
put in order. The register is a handsome leather volume. Its index is
contained in a separate book with similar binding. Both are carefully kept.
These, with the tin-box in which Linton kept the certificates, and the
oak-table on which the register stood, are the property of the present
proprietrix.

GRETNA HALL MARRIAGE RECORDS

Notes made while arranging and checking above register:
There are 1134 entries in the marriage register, of which the first is dated
12th July 1825, and signed by Robert Elliot. The last is dated 30th April
1855, and signed by Wm. Jardine, shoemaker.

The earliest certificate is dated 1st January 1829: there are 1120 of
these, arranged in thirty-six files.

This first certificate and nearly all the subsequent ones, together with the
corresponding register entries, are signed by John Linton, until his death
in 1852.

For good reasons of his own, Linton did not keep his register up-to-date,
but "wrote up" a number of entries at irregular intervals. In this way a
good many mistakes occurred - really clerical errors.

The paper watermark of the register is 1838. The different shades of ink
and some changes in handwriting often indicate the commencement or ending of
an accumulation of entries.

The register is beautifully written and kept, and must have been a source of
considerable pride to Linton.

The index also is well kept - it is a companion book. If Linton were ill or
away the "marriage was performed" and the certificate signed by Anthony
Yeoman or Richard Linton. J. Linton died in 1852. During his illness
several names occur as granting certificates: W. Linton, Geo. Linton, G.
Gibson, J. Douglas, W. Jardine, A. Graves and Jas. Spiers.

William Jardine, the shoemaker, signed all Gretna Hall marriage certificates
and register entries from 1st February 1852 until 30th April 1855, except
two. Evidently he was employed by Mrs Linton in the capacity of "priest,"
and the other signatories were merely incidental to absence.

All these "priests" were really only third witnesses or clerks. In the old
Scots law no one "performs the ceremony" or "grants certificates": the
essential point is that the contracting parties declare themselves "man and
wife" before two witnesses. There were always two witnesses besides Linton
at Gretna, therefore he can only have been (a) a third witness, (b) a clerk,
or (c) a master of ceremonies, where ceremony there was none, except such as
he invented himself. (This is of course true in all cases - not especially
of Linton or any other.)

The earliest certificates are merely sheets of writing-paper, but in 1830
printed forms were used. These were of small size, about 9 x 13 ins., and
had a representation of the Prince of Wales' feathers, with his motto: "Ich
Dien." There is no indication of the printer.

The following year the Prince of Wales' heading was displaced in favour of
the British coat of arms, with its motto: "Dieu et mon Droit."

In 1835 there was a definite increase in the size of the certificates; this
tendency continued, until a formal certificate measured 11 x 17 ins.

During 1841 a much more ornate form of certificate was printed by William
Douglas, Observer Office, High Street, Gateshead.

1844 shows Thurnam of Carlisle as the printer; the Royal Arms is replaced by
a large book surmounted by a crown. There is a heavy design round the
printed matter; and the certificate grows ever larger.

11th June 1846 shows an alteration in the wording, "the laws of the Church
of England" being omitted.

Careful observation of marriage certificates, and various descriptions of
the "ceremony," show that the extensive use of the English form of marriage
service followed by the earlier "priests" gradually fell into desuetude, and
a simpler more entirely "civil" rite was adopted.

The book and crown disappear, to be replaced by the arms of Great Britain.
On 12th June 1849 another design is used. The Prince of Wales' feathers
reappear above a coronet, below which is the motto: "Ich Dien."

Early in his career John Linton commenced the practice of what may be called
having a double certificate.

When the bridegroom was a penman, Linton made him write on plain paper a
"declaration" showing the proper names, addresses, parish and county of the
contracting parties. When the groom was illiterate, Linton wrote the
"declaration" himself; it was always signed by the bridal pair and duly
witnessed. Frequently it gave a little extra information to that available
on the formal certificate.

Sometimes only the "declaration," sometimes only the formal certificate, is
found in this collection - the other having obviously been uplifted as "the
marriage lines."

People from many lands were married at Gretna Hall - France, Belgium, the
United States, Holland, Prussia and the Isle of Barbados are all
represented.

The ceremony was simply that of the old Scots law, which enacts that "Where
a single man and woman declare themselves husband and wife in presence of
two witnesses they are in fact legally married." It is common to and
binding all over Scotland. Why, therefore, so many people should come from
different parts of Scotland to undergo the ceremony at Gretna remains a
mystery. There are records from Glasgow, Forfarshire, Perth, Aberdeenshire,
Argyllshire; they came to Gretna Green when the same ceremony in their own
countryside would have been equally efficacious.

There are some curious names of people and place - long since fallen into
desuetude - as the Township of the Abbey within the City of Carlisle; Grey
Southern or Maryport; Allonby once Broomfield, and an almost indecipherable
entry, which appears to be Parish of Suncross, in Perthshire.

There are some beautiful specimens of handwriting, mostly in the Italian
style; again there are many wholly, or partly, illiterate persons, and we
cannot resist speculating as to the future happiness of such a couple when
united by the close bonds of matrimony.

The late Mr R. B. Carruthers was a well-known and highly popular landowner
in Gretna during the middle of last century. He was interested in these
curious irregular marriages, and obtained many particulars from Mr John
Murray, Sark Bar, and W, Jardine, who often assisted at Gretna Hall. He
wrote some notes, and retained letters received from Jardine: these were
handed to a Mr W. Baillie, but do not appear ever to have been published.
Some interesting newspaper articles appeared about 1906, but nothing more.

A few writers mention a family named Baillie who were for a short period
tenants of Sark Tollbar. Mr Baillie was in poor health; but marriages were
performed during his tenancy. The family were much respected and liked; but
no trace of a marriage register has been obtained.

LAMBERTON TOLL MARRIAGE REGISTERS
These are very scarce.

Two books are the property of Mrs Campbell Renton, of Mordington.

Mr Peters, Solicitor, Berwick-on-Tweed, has possession of some registers of
irregular marriages. They are contained in two small school exercise-books:
the dates are not in continuity. The period they cover is about 1780-1790.

Probably there are many more registers if they could be found. Their value
was not realized by the original owners. "Registers" were kept in
pocket-books, in paper-backed notebooks, etc., and were often destroyed or
lost.

Certificates were treated lightly, and in Springfield were often given as
playthings to children, who rapidly tore them up.

COLDSTREAM IRREGULAR MARRIAGE REGISTERS

The William Dickson Registers consist of six books, which contain a list of
marriages performed by him from 1844 to 1857:
Book I. contains 54 entries
II. 109
III. 186
IV. 404
V. 298
VI. 395
Total 1446

It is believed Dickson performed other marriages not contained in this list.
Some register-books may have become lost or destroyed. Those mentioned are
in the possession of Mrs A. Gray, Orchard Cottage, Coldstream.

The registers are paper-backed notebooks, which have suffered from much
handling.

Probably one or more Coldstream registers exist besides these, but their
location is not known.

There is one certificate signed by Dickson dated 1842: it is surmounted by
the Royal coat of arms with "Dieu et mon Droit" on a scroll. The printed
wording is different from that used in Gretna. No mention is made of "the
Church of England." The certificate is one of "The Kingdom of Scotland,"
with the detailed location of Coldstream Bridge, Parish of Coldstream,
County of Berwick.

THE END