Did you have ancestors’ that eloped to be married or had an irregular marriage in Scotland? Search places such as Gretna Green, Coldstream, and Lamberton Toll to find details of their marriage in this collection from 1624-1898.
Each record includes a transcript of the original record. The amount of information will vary, you may be able to find a combination of the following:
Name of bride
Name of groom
Banns date
Marriage date
Marriage place
Parish
Bride’s residence
Bride’s occupation
Groom’s residence
Groom’s occupation
Parents name
Witness names
Event source
Marriage by a declaration in front of two witnesses was legal in Scotland, however, in 1753 a law was passed in England which banned such irregular marriages and this led to couples eloping to marry.
An irregular marriage in Scotland did not require the ceremony to be carried out by an ordained minister or to be preceded by proclamation or Banns. Parental permission was also not required for the marriage to be recognized as being legal.
Irregular marriages were disagreed with in principle by the churches, they were however tolerated as the churches feared that if the law did not recognize such relationships, the couple would end up 'living in sin.'
Begin your search broadly with just a name.
If needed, you can narrow your results by including additional search criteria such as a year, location or a keyword.