Well, mostly, it’s in Scotland, and Scotland had different marriage laws. In England after 1754, an under 21 could not marry without parental consent (unless they managed to publish the banns over the course of several weeks without the parents finding out, which would be a challenge). However, in Scotland, boys could marry at 14 and girls at 12–with or without parental consent. Furthermore, Scottish law allowed for ‘irregular marriages’ which could be conducted by almost anyone in the presence of witnesses, not just by clerics.
A tradition rapidly developed of runaways asking blacksmiths to do the wedding honours—to the point where blacksmiths became known as ‘anvil priests’—apparently because Gretna’s forge was at the centre of the village where the roads met, and thus obvious and accessible. Social history would be very different if there had been a greengrocers there instead, or a dog grooming salon.
Beyond being in Scotland, there was nothing special about Gretna Green except that it’s pretty far south, and that a brand new toll road was built passing through it in the 1770s. Given the appalling state of 18th-century roads, aka rutted cart tracks, this was a huge advantage in getting there fast, and hence Gretna Green came to be the market leader in runaway weddings.
But it wasn’t the only one. In order to get to Gretna Green from London on the better roads, you generally headed up the Great North Road to Boroughbridge in Yorkshire, and then towards Carlisle and onto the Great West Road to Scotland. But you could just as well stay on the Great North Road and head through Newcastle to another of the border towns that specialised in quick marriages, such as Coldstream Bridge. The border was further north on that side of the country, but you avoided the tiresome dog-leg west. And you might find yourself better able to throw off pursuit by an angry father or brother that way.
You may well be asking why any of this is relevant to queer romance at a time where marriage really wasn’t an option. In Wanted, a Gentleman, an underage heiress has eloped with her suitor after a courtship in the pages of a Lonely Hearts magazine. Mr. Martin St. Vincent finds himself with the unwanted job of chasing down the runaways before they reach the border, and recruits Theo Swann, the Lonely Hearts publisher, to help him in the chase.
As it happens, neither Martin nor Theo is inclined towards marriage of any kind, Gretna or otherwise. And neither expects that, in trying to stop someone else’s wedding, they might find a love of their own…
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Wanted, A Gentleman, one lucky winner will receive $20 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on January 14, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.
KJ Charles is a writer and freelance editor. She lives in London with her husband, two kids, and a cat with murder management issues. KJ writes mostly romance, mostly queer, frequently historical, and usually with some fantasy or horror in there.
Find her on Twitter @kj_charles, pick up free reads on her website at kjcharleswriter.com, get the infrequent newsletter at kjcharleswriter.com/newsletter, or join her Facebook group, KJ Charles Chat, for sneak peeks and exclusives.
Thanks for the interesting post! I had never heard about the difference in Scottish marriage laws – always learn something new when I read your posts. Looking forward to reading Wanted, a Gentleman.
jen(dot)f(at)mac(dot)com
I love KJ Charles’ books! I didn’t realize a new one is coming out! Woohoo!
I read the excerpt of Wanted, A Gentleman at Riptide as soon as it came out, and was so frustrated that I had to wait to read the book. Now I am reading the book as slowly as possible so it won’t be over too soon.
hartdva(at)gmail(dot)com
I’ve always heard about Gretna Green, but didn’t know the particulars. Thanks for this. Can’t wait to read Wanted, A Gentleman! I am such a huge KJ fan. bodiluse(at)gmail(dot)com
One of my favorite things about KJC books is that I learn something in all of them – usually history, but sometimes just interesting stuff like this. And she makes me want to go look stuff up, which automatically makes her an auto-buy for me
Just bought my copy! This sounds like another fantastic read from KJ Charles. diannewrites2(at)hotmail(dot)com
I received notice of my copy 2 days early pre-release (thank you Riptide!) on Friday night as I lay in bed looking for something to read. I was ecstatic! It was, as is everything by KJ Charles, an interesting and insightful read with compelling lead characters. I read it to completion immediately and that was the worst part about it… it was too short 😀 However, February isn’t too far away when my pre-order for An Unseen Attraction (Sins of the Cities, #1) will arrive!! Looking VERY forward to that!
emptybisme@yahoo.com
Lovers on the run; a race against time; unexpected romance – all set in Regency England. What more could I ask for? I’m clicking “Buy Now”!
I love KJ Charles’ books! THis one is on my Want to Read list 🙂
ekaf2022 (at) gmail [dot] com
You don’t need to put in your emails. Your email shows up on the backend for us. We are zealous about your privacy. 🙂
I am a huge KJ Charles fan! Thanks for the giveaway.
buttonsmom2003 (at) gmail (dot) com
Yay, a new book by KJ!! I look forward to reading it, it’s high up on my TBR list.
I started this book today and don’t want to put it down – Theo is a gem of a character. Thanks for cheering up a dull, wet day!
Given the number of romance novels set in England that I’ve read I’m surprised this is only the second that had Gretna Green in it, guess I wasn’t reading runaway wedding stories.
Thanks for the post, KJ. Having read Gretna Green as elopement’s destination is not a first time for me; it’s interesting to learn about the route to cross the borders when reading this book, though. Added knowledge for me! 🙂
Congrats on the release of another new book, KJ.
Forgot my email addy:
puspitorinid AT yahoo DOT com
Interesting post! Did already know about Greta Green thanks to some Wikipedia spiralling a while ago but I didn’t know about the age differences between English and Scottish marriage laws!!
Love your books
I just bought my copy, I’m so looking forward to this book!
lcmclaughlin@gmx.com
I adored this book and read it in one sitting. Josie.b1 @ hotmail.co.uk
I always thought Gretna Green was in the extreme south of England, so eloping couples would go south out of London. I learned something new by reading Wanted, A Gentleman this weekend!
skadlec1@yahoo.com
I always thought Gretna Green was in the extreme southern end of England and thus eloping couples would go south out of London. I learned something new this weekend thanks the the early release from Riptide!
Really looking forward to this one. I have a frantic work week ahead, and this is going to be my Sunday treat! Thanks KJ!
Thanks so much for the in depth on Gretna Green! I definitely think 12 and 14 are great ages to make life decisions!
Indeed. That was a set of marriage laws begging for a happy medium.
I loved this book and read it in one sitting. Thanks for enlightening me about Gretna Green. Josie.b1 @ hotmail.co.uk
I love KJ Charles’ books. I have been waiting for this book for so long. Thank you for the interesting post. I did not know about Gretna Green…
susanaperez7140(at)Gmail(dot)com
So excited for this new release. KJ Charles is a fantastic author! Thanks for the chance to win.
chalonsursaone95 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Happy release day! Glad there’s finally a new KJ Charles book, can’t wait to start reading.
This may well be my favorite KJ Charles book yet. (I should know better than to start reading one of hers at bedtime; I couldn’t put it down!)
Very fun book. Interesting information about Gretna Green–I always thought it was that specific place that had something magical about it for eloping couples. Unicorns (I just discovered they’re Scotland’s national animal), perhaps? I had no idea it was anywhere in Scotland, or about the Blacksmiths. Fascinating! Thank you!
Unicorns would have been better, I admit. If you go to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh there’s a huge crest at the entrance with two extraordinarily well endowed unicorns, er, rampant.
*Snort* hahahaha! Another coffee sniffed up my nose!
I’m a massive fan of your books and will read everything you will ever publish 🙂
Sorry, I forgot my mail: booklover-forever(at)web(dot)de
Yay another KJ Charles 🙂 it was very good mirren AT gmail DOT com
This was fascinating! People in historical romance are always eloping to Gretna Green, but except for “Because SCOTLAND,” there was never any explanation for why they had to go there.
zoey.brouthers@gmail.com
Super excited to read this book and have a little context for it!
I have been looking forward to this book!
JackDaniel42@gmail.com
Thanks for the interesting post! I have Wanted, A Gentleman waiting for me on my kindle! violet817(at)aol(dot)com
The blurb is excellent stuff and the excerpt is one heck of a teaser. Can’t wait to read!
New book from a favorite author! Yay! Lovely post as well. Thanks!
A KJ Charles’ release is like a birthday present comes early 🙂
amie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com
I loved the fact that you looked at the journey realistically. I’ve read so many romances where the hero and heroine are eloping to Gretna Green, and they read like someone traveling on a paved road in an automobile that just happens to be called a carriage. The time involved is almost always severely underestimated, and the discomfort of the journey usually glossed over entirely. Thanks for returning historical fact to historical fiction!
I’m going to be blogging on that in more detail elsewhere on this tour. I spent some time doing maths of what the journey would be like, absolutely horrendous.
Sorry, I forgot my email address. jmarenbowen(at)gmail(dot)com. I look forward to your other posts.
Very excited about the new book! I’m sure it will be grand, just as KJ Charles’ other books have been 🙂
Thank you for all the lovely comments, everyone. 🙂 Good luck in the draw!
Thank you for the interesting post. I never knew that marriage laws in Scotland were different than those in England. Congrats on the release of Wanted, A Gentleman.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
It made me smile when I found out we’d be getting a couple of gay men riding off towards Gretna Green, even if it wasn’t for the usual reason. When I finally got to read it, it was even more than I’d hoped for. I’m glad to see so many people who enjoyed/are looking forward to WAG!
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com
I love KJ Charles’ writing, I’ve always loved Regency romances and I’ve always been fascinated by Gretna. I grew up near the border so the whole idea really resonates with me. I’m looking forward to the book!
I was looking for the first Sins of the Cities book, so this standalone took me by surprise. I didn’t see it coming. I will read it ASAP.
I’ve got this lovely book all queued up and ready to read tonight! Looking forward to it.
elinor@mistyzeo dot net 😀
Very interesting information. I don’t read much historical romance anymore because I often get the impression that the author has only the vaguest idea of what their chosen time period was really like (and even if they’ve researched a particular event or custom which is central to the plot, they sometimes don’t have a sufficient feel for the time to make their story convincing). With KJ Charles the depth of knowledge is clearly there, and it makes such a difference. I can stop keeping an eye out for anachronisms and just enjoy the story. The characterisation and the quality of the prose are also real pleasures.
I used to only read historical romances but haven’t lately, this post has reawakened my interest! I can’t wait to read this book. Thank you!
ree.dee.2014 (at) gmail (dot) com
I knew that Gretna Green was in Scotland so I knew people were eloping there but did not know about the difference in marriage laws, especially about the age differences. Thanks for the informative post!
legacylandlisa(at)gmail(dot)com