England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hensingham St John the Evangelist

The Parish

The chapelry of Hensingham was created from the west Cumberland parish of St Bees in 1811, it was licensed for marriages from 1825. Hensingham is located in the suburbs of the west Cumberland port and industrial town of Whitehaven, the former village sits about 1 mile southeast of Whitehaven on the B5295 road which links Whitehaven with Cleator Moor. Hensingham sits about 1 1/2 miles inland from the Irish Sea coast on the low coastal plain which surrounds the Lake District Fells in the heart of Cumberland. Hensingham grew up as a salubrious suburb away from the busy port and industrial sites of Whitehaven, this is also a mining area exploiting the West Cumberland coalfield. Prior to industrialisation this would have been predominantly a pastoral setting with beef cattle dominating the farming cycles. Nowadays Hensingham is a commuter suburb with most residents employed in the town of Whitehaven. Hensingham is sited at about 90 metres above the sea, land falls away into the valley of a small beck (Pow Beck) which runs northwestwards to the sea at Whitehaven. The chapelry is quite small, covering an area more typical of a southern parish, but supported (by the end of the transcript period) around 940 parishioners. In common with most parts of northern England there is no mention of Hensingham in Domesday Book.

The Church

St John the Evangelist's church sits on the western side of Egremont Road to the south of the main village crossroads, it has an elevated site over the POW Beck valley being perched on the top of that slope. The church is a modern one having been commenced in 1911. Whilst it uses Early English and Perpendicular styles its clearly did not impress Pevsner who dismissed the building in a few lines. The church sits behind a curious low wall with projecting pillars every few yards made from local sandstone. Entry is gained at the southern extent of the site. There are a few mature trees in the grounds but these do not unduly restrict photographic opportunities.