1927-12-17 — Page 8

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SHANGHAI,

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

GRETNA MARRIAGES A "WASHOUT."

SATURDAY," DECEMBER * 17, . 1927.

about 1860, and was originally a farm, as a few still living can bear witness. It was converted into a smithy and sort of museum, about 25 year ago, and the villagers, it THE TRUTH TOLD AT LAST. is said, are not a little annoyed at the streams of credulous visitors who flock to see it many as 800 were counted in a day-lirmly believing it to be the site of those

THE BLACKSMITH MYTH.

or

the came upon

Ahold has Sc firm blacksmith legend taken

The Mystery Solved.

Colk

It is always distressing to the picturesque weddings of long ago, cherished when the pastehuise drove up, and romantic when their illusions, one after the other, fade the pair were hardly united before

relativel pursuing under the searching ray of truth, their That this fate should have over-guardians taken so well established and be scene. loved a tradition is the blacksmith the

fond "priest of Gretna Green is almost that nothing the Gretna say will persuade the more than supe of them can bear, and what the novelist is going to tourist to relinquish it. It has do about it is not at present clear. become, sore point in the neigh- Trath is, however, inexorable. Her bourhood. light will not be hid, and before it the phantom blacksmith-always

figure, if Charles The elue to the mystery seems to a doubtful Dickens is to be believed-shivers, lie in the sign which was painted and dissolves in mist. He is at in "To the Piper's day on the least quit of the maledictions of fanlight of his house-ht that time those who married in haste to re the only two-storeyed house in the pet at leisure. Hy and his angit village--and which Tom and his son agreed to call "The Gretna ar absolved.

The Blacksmith legend which had Wedding Inn." The sigh repre- grown up round the marringes offsented a blacksmith's shop, with a Gretna Green is, it appears, of com- young couple joining hands over

I an in-the anvil and the old smith bring paratively rigent date.

hanuner. Many down the terview "with a Sentsman repre- ing sentative, the present owner of comples were married in that house, Graitney Hall, where many of the though, there was no blacksmith in marriages took place, corroborated Gretha at that time.

Scottish marriages do actually M. Rodoranachi's recent statement

Gretna

to the Institute of Frage, reprt-take place to-day at the ed in these columns on 26th Octo-emithy; but it is doubtful whether ber. M. Rodiocanachi, it will be the record of thirty couples in a recalled, astonished members of the day, reached by one of the oli tive French Academies by deny "priests" at Carlisle hiring-fair ing the existence of the Gruntime, will ever be repeated. Nor blacksmith.

is it likely that a prosaic modern will offer any gedom to compare Charles Dicken's, Testimony, with the fantastic gift with which Charles Dickens, in an article an Italian Count and his lady are written for Hauerholt Words in reported to have paid their pay- u then." A tumblerful of gold was 1852, deseribes his visit

his reward, und each of the post- seene of many a famous elopement, boys had a wine glasful of gold The breakfested aut dined at Grefphosides, is castor to believe ini Hall. then an inu, kept by the

another couple, possibly, Scottish. widow of the late "Parsen" Linton.

pros This lady owed him the registerThey married for the

divions fee of 25 arrings at the tail tnew in ille possesion of the fresent, pro-l

A reduction of twenty to twenty- prietors, duting back to 1885, She

on all air-lines [isintent proudly to "one or two Ger- five per cent. mat Dukes to Miss Penelope in Germany is intended to popu Smith and her princely betrothed, lavice, flying this Winter. Prou to the well-known name of Berlin to London will now eest Sheridan, to Lady Adel Villiers 160 marks instead of fao, which and her husband," and assured himpia the difference between £s and that they still had a pad sprink- £9 10s., Special goods aeroplanes. ing" a marriages throughout the are being put in the ordinary year. She knows nothing," adds time-table, as the developmæni af Dickens, "alut the blacksmith,nir-freight, arvording to the Left and dodan't believe such a man ever Hansa, makes this as necessary aa | nurried couples. As far as she goods trains are on the gallwng, {kumws, "the" kind of murringes lee

Fran to by celebrated at Gretnal hiron 100 years ago." That would be glatte t time (int the morinus fleet marriage came to Lord anel gin erinsequence of Hardwicke's Bil of 1754. Dickens theh visited an inn at the adjoin- jur villare of Sprinlivic, and here! euroantered. "Parson" Lang, also Full of mittiseences. His was, gerently, a rival establishment,

there again, to Dicken's astoufishment, there is im know- Hedge of the blacksmith, unless in-i Jbeed on Colthard, who "lourished i Loms where about 120 years ag?)

17881, was n smith, and that is by no means evertuin.

A Matrimonial Tapgle. Anong the earlier "priests" of Greta was deseph Paisley, de- sergheilus à drunken freeloter. Of human lasing story is told in alle velame by Claverhause" a note out of print 1 on Gretai Grea and it Traftin. Paisley had Just married two compies in a de- - ponto karry? Agor the ceremony I was discovered, totheir mustaal"

prior that i hushands and wives! ind thixel Paisley was not

a disturberi. – “Awvel,"

he. "est cart persels.

sald

Paisley a roar of marriages. Pharmor others, was lost by Are in the days of "Parson Robert Elliot, 3. Wever, who has left interest- iny Memoirs, now also nut of print. Elliot permed the ceremony at The Marriage House," or "Queen's Head. Inn," at Springfield. Three Funerations of Langs followed, the second of whom was Dickens's in- formant. The first had been asen- man, and the last was a .post- man. Parson John Linton (1825- 51) was a valet before he rented, Greta Hall and turned it into an inn. His duties as innkeeper in- dreasing, he employed first D. Lang, then a local shoemaker, to "perform the ceremony." Run- away matches were also made atį Innether in at Springfield, the| "Maxwell Arms," and at the Sark Toll-Bar, which last was the first house that English couples would reach after crossing the Border by the rond made in 1820. The old coach road, a continuation of Wat- ling Street, is now known as the Barras Road, the railway making)

in 1840. John its appearance Murray, a stonemusof, and Simon- Beattie were other leading lights now 'numerous fraternity, in the but it was probably in the reign of Thomas Little, or "Tom the l'iper," that what is locally known at the Blacksmith Myth arose,

Deluded. Tourists.

No authentic record, appears, has ever been traced of a black- emith being in the marriage trade; nor is there any history of the marriages taking place, until quito recently, in a blacksmith's shop. The place, now shown as the black- anith's shop, and as such visited- annually by tourists, was erected

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A.B.C., 5th Eddition, Bentley's.

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