A Gretna Green Surprise: Discovering the Marriage of My 4 x Great-Grandparents

Despite researching my family history for many years, I had never been able to locate a marriage record for my 4x great-grandparents, John and Elizabeth Hails — until one day, I stumbled across it quite by surprise.

Gretna Green, Scotland © 2025 Vicki Hails

Family Origins

John was born around 1796 in Newbottle, Durham, England, the son of William Hails (~1763–1823) and Isabella Walker (~1755–1844). He was baptised on 8 August 1796 at Houghton-le-Spring, Durham. Based on census records, Elizabeth was born around 1799 in Holyhead, Wales.

The couple had 12 children, born between 1818 and 1839. The first three were born in Newcastle upon Tyne and baptised at St John's to John Hails (also recorded as Hailes), a potter, and his wife, Elizabeth:

St Peter's Church Monkwearmouth Durham
© R J McNaughton

• William Hails (c1818–<1839)
• Ann Hails (c1819–1851)
• Thomas Hails (c1821–<1831)
• John Hails (1825–1894)
• Robert Hails (1827–1869)
• Charles Hails (1829–1835)
• Thomas Hails (c1831– )
• Isabella Hails (c1833–1886)
• Arthur Hails (c1835–<1841)
• Jemimah Hails (c1835–1835)
• George Hails (1836–1839)
• William George Hails (1839–1896)

The remaining children were born in Southwick, Durham, and baptised at St Peter's, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. Sadly, four of their children died young.

1851 England Census - Waterloo Street, Southwick, Durham

John and Elizabeth have been noted on the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census records residing at Waterloo St, Southwick, Durham. Census records confirm John's birthplace as Newbottle and his occupation as a potter. John's mother, Isabella is believed to be living with family at the time of the 1841 census. Elizabeth’s birthplace is harder to determine. On the 1861 census, it appears to read “Hollow Heave,” Wales — likely a misspelling or misinterpretation of Holyhead.

1861 England Census - Waterloo Street, Southwick, Durham

John died on 18 February 1862 in Southwick, Durham, aged 66. He was buried on 23 February.

Elizabeth died 5 years later on 5 March 1867 at Murton Colliery, Durham, of natural decay. She was recorded as the widow of John Hailes, potter. The informant was William Wilson, who was present at her death. Elizabeth was buried on 10 March at St Andrew’s, Dalton-le-Dale, Easington, Durham.

Cracking the Mystery: What Was Elizabeth’s Maiden Name?

Elizabeth's maiden name remained a mystery until late 2016, when the General Register Office (GRO) indexes were made available online for birth and death records. This allowed researchers to search historical GRO indexes — including mother’s maiden names for births from 1837 onward — and purchase digital certificates.

Previously, the FreeBMD website only provided mother’s maiden names for births registered after July 1911.

Eleven of John and Elizabeth’s twelve children were born before the start of civil registration in England and Wales (1837). During this time, baptismal records typically included only the mother's first name, making it difficult to determine her maiden surname.

GRO Birth Index - Entry for William George Hails

However, a search of the GRO indexes for their youngest child, William George Hails, born in 1839, finally revealed that Elizabeth’s maiden name was Reece.

A Gretna Green Surprise

Fast forward another five years, and I received a hint on Ancestry for a marriage between a John Hales and an Elizabeth Rice, dated 20 February 1817 at Gretna Green in Scotland.

 Marriage Record - John Hales and Elizabeth Rice [Lang Collection of Gretna Green Marriage Registers 1794-1828]

John was described as being from Newbottle, County Durham, and Elizabeth from the parish of St Bees, County Cumberland. This variation in surname spelling (Reece vs Rice) is not unusual in historical records. Record keepers often wrote names phonetically — based on how they sounded — especially when individuals could not read or write.

Discovering their Gretna Green marriage added a romantic and unexpected chapter to John and Elizabeth’s story. After years of uncertainty, finding their marriage documented in blacksmith’s record was both surprising and very rewarding.  I am however, still uncertain as to how they met and why they found it necessary to marry at Gretna Green! 

Gretna Green became famous as a destination for runaway couples. After Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1753 required parental consent for anyone under 21 to marry in England, couples began crossing the Scottish border where the law did not apply. In Scottish law, a clergyman was not required for a marriage to be legal, anyone could perform the ceremony so long as there were two witnesses. A mile inside the Scottish border, Gretna Green soon became the location for many eloping couples.

The most senior and respected craftsman or artisan in the countryside was the village blacksmith, and so the Blacksmith’s Forge at Gretna Green became a favourite place for weddings. The tradition of the blacksmith sealing the marriage by striking his anvil led to the Gretna blacksmiths becoming known as ‘anvil priests’ and both the blacksmith and his anvil are now symbols of Gretna Green weddings. 

The Original Blacksmith's Anvil - Gretna Green Experience Museum © 2025 Vicki Hails

Joseph Paisley is known as the original Blacksmith Priest, however, his nephew, David Lang also started performing marriages in 1792.  He dressed in a clerical style in accordance with his self-important air, which earned him the nickname “Bishop Lang”. His son, Simon followed in his shoes and continued performing marriages until his death in 1872.  

Gretna Green Experience Museum © 2025 Vicki Hails

There was rivalry between David Lang and Robert Elliot (who was married to Joseph Paisley's granddaughter) and they fought to take over John Paisley's original patch.  Unfortunately, the majority of his registers and those of Paisley were lost when Elliot’s disabled daughter set fire to her bed one night and burned herself to death together with the registers that were stored on the bed’s canopy.

The marriage record I found for John and Elizabeth is from the Lang Collection of Gretna Green Marriage Registers 1794-1828, being named after David and Simon Lang.  They are the largest single collection of Gretna Green marriage registers and includes over 10,000 records, and make up approximately 50% of all Gretna Green marriages performed during the period. 

Since Gretna Green marriages were not exactly formal, the record keeping was not regulated. Sometimes marriages were recorded on scraps of pieces of paper. Other times they were kept more formally and recorded in a book. So while there are no signatures on the entry I found, it is very likely that David Lang performed their marriage. 

Gretna Green Today

While visiting my friend, Susan, who lives in Dumfries recently, she suggested a day trip to Gretna Green. She wasn’t aware of my family history and that I had a personal connection to the village. Gretna Green’s famous Blacksmiths Shop — the Old Smithy where couples have come to marry since 1754 — still stands in the heart of the village and continues to serve as a wedding venue today.

Gretna Green © 2025 Vicki Hails

The area has grown into a popular tourist destination, with attractions such as the Gretna Green Experience Museum, the Courtship Maze, and the LOVE Wall, where visitors can leave their messages of their connections to Gretna Green. 

Just a week later, while waiting for my flight from Heathrow Airport to Bologna, I found myself chatting with the couple sitting next to me. To my surprise, they told me they were on their way to Scotland to be married. “Not Gretna Green?” I asked. “Yes!” they replied. How serendipitous! Love still finds its way to Gretna Green, where history and romance meet.