Richard Rennison

Richard Rennison (29 October 1889 – 5 August 1969) was the last "anvil priest" at Gretna Green, Scotland. Between 1926 and 1940, he performed "irregular marriages" of couples over the anvil at the Old Blacksmith Shop, where the couple proclaimed that they were single and wanted to get married in front of witnesses. As "anvil priest", Rennison generally requested a fee of £1, but was known to earn up to £20 for a ceremony (approximately £3,030 in 2012).

The popularity of the marriages grew whilst he was performing them, to the point that a special committee was formed to look at marriage in Scotland, to which Rennison was called as a witness. By the time "irregular marriages" were outlawed in Scotland by the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1939, Rennison had conducted 5,147 ceremonies.

Personal life Richard Rennison was born on 29 October 1889 in Shankhouse, Northumberland to coalminer James Rennison and his wife Ann. He spent time working as a "General Dealer" and as a photographer. In 1923, he married Jessie Little in Nicholforest, Cumberland. The pair moved to Gretna in 1926, by which time Rennison was describing himself as a saddler, an ironmonger and a boot maker. When he moved to Gretna, he initially set himself up as a saddler and opened a cafe, before being taken on by Hugh Mackie, the manager of the Old Blacksmith's Shop.

Hugh Mackie purchased the Old Blacksmith's Shop at Gretna Green in 1890 and resided there as "anvil priest" until 1926 when he was looking to retire and find a replacement. Mackie found Richard Rennison, who had recently joined the community, and by October 1927, Rennison was presiding over marriages and acting as caretaker of the shop. The shop had ceased any metalwork in 1900 and was solely used for marriage ceremonies. A natural showman, Rennison soon became the resident "anvil priest" and set about marrying people. He would regularly point out that, although he was not a member of the clergy, he could marry people as he was "No Sinner" – the reverse of his surname! By 1939, the number of marriages he had performed had increased past 4000 due to the many young men who wanted to get married before starting their service in World War II. + Marriages performed by Rennison Year Number of marriages At this point, Rennison would strike the hammer on the anvil, and the couple would be married. Rennison's wife often acted as a witness to the couples getting married, and sometimes performed the ceremonies herself. The marriage fee was supposedly £1, but Rennison would sometimes perform the ceremony for free or however much he was given; in one case he received £20 (worth approximately £3,030 in 2012).

Rennison travelled to London in 1931 for a "sight-seeing visit", and he brought the anvil with him to protect it from theft. The anvil never left his side, despite weighing . The Leader-Post suggested that, since the cost of a new anvil was much less than the cost of transporting the old one, this was more likely to be a publicity stunt.

In 1935, due to the increasing popularity of the Gretna Green "irregular marriages", a special committee headed by Lord Morison was appointed to look at marriage in Scotland. Rennison gave evidence before the committee in 1936. His role then changed to a symbolic one, "blessing" marriages and acting as caretaker of the forge. He also regularly appeared at court to ensure the marriages he performed were judicially recognised.