England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Eckington St Peter & St Paul

The Parish

The parish of Eckington lies in the extreme northeast of Derbyshire forming a short stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Yorkshire. Eckington is located roughly 7 miles northeast of the large industrail town of Chesterfield and sits on and mostly west of the A6135 road which runs southeastwards from Sheffield connecting it to the nearby M1 motorway. Eckington  is a much grown industrial town, early maps show a largely linear settlement spread close to and along today's B6056 road for almost one and half miles. Growth in the area has been prompted by industry, both extractive and manufacturing. Eckington has much in common with its larger neighbour, Sheffield, being also much engaged in the manufacture of steel produce including scythes and sickles whilst below ground coal was the main employer as well as quarrying of the local iron-rich stone mainly for building. The wider parish, which is extensive, was also farmed with pastoral methods supplemented by hardy cereals. Growth followed the arrival of modern developments, to its east the course of the River Rother was an early canalisation whilst railways arrived with the Midland Railway's line connecting Chesterfield with both Sheffield & Rotherham. All of this development together with the industry has prompted Eckington's growth into a substantial town expanding away from its linear routes to both north and south and creating a built environment from the A6135 westwards for over a mile and a half and a half mile in depth north to south. A steeply descending stream, the source of its mills' power, drains the parish east to the Rother, water then heads north to eventually meet the Don which meets the main Yorkshire rivers to pass into the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Eckington  is sited on a sloping site rising from around 50 metres at the A6135 steadily westwards to almost 130 metres at the western extent of its suburbs, land rises to a ridge at 220 metres between Eckington  and Dronfield. As already mentioned Eckington parish was a typical northern parish covering some 7,000 acres and incorporating the subsidiary townships of Mosborough, Renishaw, and Ridgeway with Troway which together with Eckington, itself, would have supported a population of around 4,400 parishioners. In Domesday times Eckington was shared between the King and one Ralph together their assets of 10 ploughs, meadow, woodlands and amill were typical of a mid-sized northern rural manor.

The Church

St Peter & St Paul's church sits almost at the eastern end of the town, just west of the A6135 and at the junction of Mill Road (the B6056) and Church Street (the B6056 continuing). The church rightfully is described by Pevsner as "a church of exceptional architectural interest" and a fine example of the 13th century styles. Some traces of the 12th century form the earliest remaining fabric capitals in the eastern responds of the nave showing styling of the very late 12th century. The 13th century, however, is the main period and is exhibited well in the stand-out western tower, its doorway shows a round arch also possibly 12th century but the lancets which dot its faces confirmation of a 13th century origin, the spire, however, is later, early 14th century and Decorated in style. The nave is the principal remaining piece of the 13th century although here again 12th & 13th century motifs are intermixed. Early 14th century additions include the northern aisle in an early 14th century Decorated styling whilst the clerestory is a typical 15th century insertion in Perpendicular. Restoration and rebuild began early, the southern aisle and porch being "remodelled" as early as 1763 whilst the southern of the same aisle was rebuilt again in 1803. There was little work done in Victorian times but further work in 1907 tackled the chancel in a way described by Pevsner as "re-gothicized". The B6056 performs a sharp right-angled bend at the church leaving a triangular green with the town's war memorial outside the entrance, parking around that triangular area being straightforward. Entry to the church passes through a dense screen of trees which, sadly for the photographer, remove all of the favoured southern aspects and make for a tricky subject on a sunny day.