 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 ! In his first ten years , he married around 2000 couples , the majority of whom were couples between 40 and 60 years old . 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 . 
