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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Dumfriesshire => Topic started by: amon000 on Thursday 20 June 19 22:43 BST (UK)
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Hello all,
Would anyone know are there any records for marriages at Gretna Green in the 1960s available to view and/or purchase certificates please? Are these classed as 'irregular marriages' and are the certificates also obtainable through the GRO or is there a separate Scottish records office? Apologies - I have had no experience with Scottish records until now :)
Many thanks in advance,
Amanda
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For any/ all Scottish records, you should use scotandspeople.
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
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For any/ all Scottish records, you should use scotandspeople.
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
I don't think they have Gretna Green Records.
I have a couple I got from somebody else's Ancestry Tree and just tried a search for it in Scotland's People - it doesn't come up at all - only one birth in the name of Robert Robson 1833 at Coldingham.
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Irregular marriages were abolished in Scotland in about 1940. So any marriage in Gretna Green in the 1960s should be in the normal statutory records on Scotlandspeople.
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Hello all, thank you so much for your replies; I searched the regular marriage records on the Scotland’s People website and it came up trumps. I’ve now ordered the certificate 😁
Many thanks again,
Amanda
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I don't think they have Gretna Green Records.
From the 1960s they most certainly do.
From the 1830s, it's entirely possible that the records, if the ever existed, have not survived.
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From the 1960s they most certainly do.
From the 1830s, it's entirely possible that the records, if the ever existed, have not survived.
Well I've found two of them from other Ancestry Trees, the 1833 one in my earlier post and the same Robert Robson married in Gretna Green a second time in 1842. If I can find that tree again, I'll message and ask where they found them.
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The Gretna Green Marriages on Ancestry only go from 1794 to 1895 -
https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/gretnagreenmarriages/
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Irregular marriages were abolished in Scotland in about 1940. So any marriage in Gretna Green in the 1960s should be in the normal statutory records on Scotlandspeople.
Sorry you are (partially) wrong - The Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939 is the legislation you refer to. Although it did make major changes by abolishing "Marriage by Declaration" it did NOT abolish all forms of irregular marriage (one escaped). Marriage by declaration was the form most popular in irregular marriages in areas like Gretna where they appear to have kept fairly good business records of all transcations.
If the marriage took place in 1962 I would agree with you, it was either a "regular" marriage in which case it should be on Scotlands People or it was an informal ceremony (not a marriage) and may not be recorded.
Irregular marriage in the form of "Co-habitation & Repute" continued to be recognised as a form of marriage until The Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 abolished the recognition of such unions formed after May of that year as marriages.