Gretna, Scotland
Gretna
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 Gretna
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| Gretna shown within Dumfries and Galloway | |
| Population | 2,705 (2001 Census) |
| OS grid reference | NY320671 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GRETNA |
| Postcode district | DG16 |
| Dialling code | 01461 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Gretna (Scottish Gaelic: Greatna) is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Because they are near the Anglo-Scottish border, nearby Gretna Green and, to a lesser extent, Gretna, are historically linked to weddings because of the more liberal marriage provisions in Scots law. "Gretna" has become a term for a place for quick, easy marriages.
Gretna was historically a civil parish in Dumfriesshire.
Gretna means "(place at the) gravelly hill", from Old English greot "grit" (in the dative form greoten (which is where the -n comes from) and hoh "hill-spur".
The Lochmaben Stone is a megalith standing in a field, nearly 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) west of the Sark mouth on the Solway Firth, three hundred yards or so above high water mark on the farm of Old Graitney. It was one of the traditionally recognised meeting places on the England / Scotland border.
Prior to the Acts of Union 1707 of the Parliaments of England and Scotland, Gretna was a customs post for collecting taxes on cattle crossing the border between the two kingdoms. The Gretna customs post was established in 1612. A Drove road was constructed between Gretna and Annan in 1619, possibly to facilitate the transportation of cattle from Wigtownshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfriesshire to markets in England.
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