J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

The subject is continued on folio 184 recto opposite (D03270; Turner Bequest LVI 182). The blacksmith’s shop at Gretna Green was already famous when Turner visited the village: owing to marriage licensing laws passed in England in 1754, weddings could be conducted only in specified places and by licensed clergymen. The law did not apply in Scotland, and the situation of Gretna Green just across the border on the Carlisle road made it convenient for the rapid solemnisation of unions disapproved by a couple’s parents. There was no restriction on who might perform the office, and the blacksmith, being a senior member of the community, acted as clergyman, using his anvil as an altar.

Gretna’s location was the reason that Turner passed through, on his way to the Lake District; but he thought it worth while to record the smithy as a ‘tourist attraction’. Although the legal position has changed, Gretna Green remains a favourite spot for wedding ceremonies today. Other views are on folios 180 verso–181 recto and 186 verso–187 recto (D03263–D03264, D03275–D03276; Turner Bequest LVI 178a–179, 184a–185). See also folios 185 verso–186 recto (D03273–D03274; Turner Bequest LVI 183a–184).