The Elopement or a Tripp to Scotland. Hand coloured Mezzotint engraving published by R Sayer London 1777. In original ebonised fruitwood frame.
The 1754 Marriage Act set the age of consent at 21 in England, but in Scotland couples could still marry from the age of 14 by declaring their wish to be husband and wife in front of two witnesses. Many couples eloped to Gretna Green, just over the border.