Surprise Ties for the Tough Family

Another little piece of Gretna Green History...

Last weekend, we were visited by 3 generations of a family, with a very special connection to Gretna Green's Famous Blacksmiths Shop.

Geraldine Davey (nee Tough) had been visiting Gretna Green, namely the Famous Blacksmiths Shop, for a friend's wedding when she spotted an old photo hanging up of a 'Mr & Mrs John Tough' and upon inspection it turned out to be her Great Aunt and Uncle...

Originally married in 1884 Geraldine's Great Aunt and Uncle, Mr and Mrs John Tough, of Moffat, then had a blessing service to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary in the Blacksmiths Shop in 1934. In another special twist, the blessing was actually conducted by our very own Richard Rennison, the last of the "anvil priests" who was to retire but only a few years later.

How lovely it was then for the descendents of Mr and Mrs Tough to return to Gretna Green, almost 80 years on... we were even able to grab a photo of the extended family with the original image which still hangs in the Famous Blacksmiths Shop today.

If you or your family have a special connection to Gretna Green, we'd love to hear about it... you may even see your photo on our blog one day! Please feel free to get in touch with us...