▁Se par ation ▁from ▁bed ▁and ▁board ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁allowed ▁in ▁exception al ▁circumstances , ▁usually ▁ad ul tery ▁and ▁under ▁the ▁reform ed ▁Kirk ▁divor ce ▁was ▁allowed ▁on ▁grounds ▁of ▁ad ul tery ▁or ▁desert ion . ▁Scotland ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁countries ▁to ▁allow ▁desert ion ▁as ▁legal ▁grounds ▁for ▁divor ce ▁and , ▁unlike ▁England , ▁divor ce ▁cases ▁were ▁initi ated ▁relatively ▁far ▁down ▁the ▁social ▁scale . ▁ ▁Ir regular ▁and ▁common - law ▁mar ri ages ▁ ▁Under ▁early ▁modern ▁Sc ots ▁law , ▁there ▁were ▁three ▁forms ▁of ▁" ir regular ▁marriage " ▁which ▁can ▁be ▁summar ised ▁as ▁the ▁agreement ▁of ▁the ▁couple ▁to ▁be ▁married ▁and ▁some ▁form ▁of ▁witness ing ▁or ▁evidence ▁of ▁such . ▁An ▁irregular ▁marriage ▁could ▁result ▁from ▁mut ual ▁agreement , ▁by ▁a ▁public ▁promise ▁followed ▁by ▁consum m ation , ▁or ▁by ▁coh ab itation ▁and ▁re put e . ▁ ▁All ▁but ▁the ▁last ▁of ▁these ▁were ▁abol ished ▁by ▁the ▁Mar riage ▁( Sc ot land ) ▁Act ▁ 1 9 3 9 , ▁from ▁ 1 ▁July ▁ 1 9 4 0 . ▁Prior ▁to ▁this ▁act , ▁any ▁citiz en ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁witness ▁a ▁public ▁promise . ▁ ▁The ▁tradition ▁of ▁el op ing ▁English ▁cou ples ▁searching ▁for ▁black sm ith s ▁resulted ▁leg ally ▁from ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁black sm ith s ▁were ▁necessarily ▁citizens ▁and ▁could ▁often ▁be ▁recogn ised ▁by ▁str angers ▁by ▁their ▁presence ▁at