England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Linton St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Linton lies in the extreme southeast of Cambridgeshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Essex whilst Suffolk is not too far away to the east. Linton is located roughly midway between Cambridge and the Suffolk market town of Haverhill, being 10 miles southeast of the former and 8 west of the latter, it stands on the former route, now bypassing to the south, of the A1307 road which the two. Linton was a market town from 1246 to the mid 19th century when finally usurped in that regional role by Haverhill, today it is a rather large village, still market town sized and trending for over a mile from west to east along the north bank of the River Granta. As a market town and site of the regional union workhouse Linton would have acted as a centre for trade in, mainly agricultural, goods as well as a location for specialist skilled trades, the wider parish would have been more typical of the area, dominated by arable fields but with the Granta's water-meadows providing some wetter land used for grazing of cattle. The area has ancient landmarks with several early pathways crossing the higher ground to the north whilst Roman Roads also strike through the wider parish. Modern developments have come and disappeared from Linton, the railway line from Cambridge to Haverhill having closed and been largely dismantled. The River Granta drains the parish northwestwards passing through Cambridge after merging in turn with the two branches of the Cam, after Cambridge the Cam joins the Great Ouse before reaching the North Sea through the port of King's Lynn and The Wash. Linton sits on the gently rising valley sides of the Granta's valley rising from around 40 metres at the river to 60 metres at its northeastern-most properties, immediately north east of the village is Rivey Hill at 112 metres only exceeded by a few metres in its county by a few spots in the vicinity of Shudy Camps and Castle Camps. Linton parish was extensive covering close to 3,800 acres, it would have supported a population of close to 1,800 parishioners. In Domesday times Linton was merely one of many large rural settlements, it was held by Count Alan of Brittany and its assets of 8 ploughs backed by meadows & woodland was enhanced by the possession of 2 mils powered either by the Granta or by wind-power.

The Church

St Mary's church stands at the southwestern end of Church Lane, almost at the side of the Granta and on the southeastern edge of the village. Outwardly the church appears to be entirely from the later medieval Perpendicular era with typical features of that period such embattlements and clerestory, it takes Pevsner forensic eye and an internal visit to reveal a much earlier origin. The southern arcade is revealed as the earliest fabric dateable to the late 13th century and to the Early English Gothic period, originally lengthy of 6-bays the 6th was cut into at a later date when the tower was created. Pevsner dates the tower as no later than 1300 which makes it either similarly Early English Gothic or from the relatively brief Transitional period. The northern arcade in contrast to its southern equivalent proves to be early 14th century and Decorated in style whilst the chancel appears contemporary with the tower. Inspection of the clerestory reveals there are 2 one earlier than that obvious from external views. Much else is genuinely late 14th or early 15th century Perpendicular overlaid by Victorian restoration, a single phase is mentioned of that between 1870 & 1871 but other work may have been light and sensitive to the style. Only the more northerly end of Church Lane is suitable for on-street parking with a short walk to the churchyard, it is bordered with a typical regional flint wall topped by brick, most aspects are available to the photographer with only a few easily avoided trees around.