Richard Rennison 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
Gretna, Virginia Gretna, Virginia Gretna is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,257 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Danville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Gretna Commercial Historic District and Yates Tavern are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gretna is located at (36.953190, -79.362769). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) (1.83%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,257 people, 569