1812: The elopement of naval hero, politician, inventor and radical Thomas Cochrane with Katherine (Kitty) Barnes to Scotland.
human interest
Sark Toll Bar – first stop over the border and nearer than Gretna Green!
Read about Sark Toll Bar, which was preferred by couples who feared a parent was about to catch up with them. It was half a mile closer than Gretna Green!
Elopement in Vauxhall Gardens popular song
The Honeymoon: An elopement song performed by Mary Ann Wrighten (1751-1796) at Vauxhall Gardens.
“Drive on, drive on, drive on!”: Ode on Moderation by Peter Pindar
Peter Pindar’s Ode on Moderation (1797). A satirical poem on the perils of elopement.
Post-chaises and postilions
The hiring of a post-chaise (or several) was typical of Georgian elopements – where could you get one and and who or what was the postilion?
Two 18th-century bride abductions
Two cases of bride abductions: Pleasant Rawlins and Lucy Ramsay. Their abductors were tried and executed.