England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Pittington St Lawrence

The Parish

The parish of Pittington lies in eastern central Durham roughly 4 miles northeast of the county city of Durham. Pittington sits about 2 miles southeast of the A690 road which links Durham with Sunderland. Whilst the village of Pittington gives its name to the parish it is not the only settlement in the wider parish, Pittington is a large village roughly square in shape with the hamlet of Hallgarth at its southwestern corner containing the church, a mile south is the larger township of Sherburn sitting on the B1283 and oblong in shape spreading eastwards from a railway line for a half mile, smaller is the hamlet of Shadforth, a mile south of the B1283. Mining and other extractive industries dominated the economy at the time of this transcript, Belmont Colkiery being reputed to be of the highest quality coal supplied the London market via Sunderland, whilst the local limestone was quarried for building stone. The land was also farmed with hardy cereals the dominant crop mixed with cattle pastures. Today all mines are closed and there is something post-industrial about the village which today functions more as a dormitory for Durham. Modern developments abound, numerous mineral railway lines criss-cross the area whilst the A1M motorway skirts the western edge of the parish between it and Durham. A small stream, Sherburn House Beck, drains the parish southwestwards to meet the Wear south of Durham passing back north and east to reach the North Sea through Sunderland. Pittington is sited at around 90 metres above the sea and sits at the base of a small escarpment rising to 163 metres above High Moorsley. Like many northern parishes Pittington was extensive, covering just over 6,300 acres within which a population of close to 4,600 parishioners would have been supported. North of the River Tees Domesday Book has no coverage thus Pittington is not mentioned in the book.

The Church

St Lawrence's church sits southwest of Pittington village within the hamlet of Hallgarth close to the site of a former prior's hall and modern day hotel. St Lawrence has ancient origins with its  4 western bays of its nave dating back to the 12th century, Norman Romanesque in style. Indeed Pevsner described the church's northern arcade as "one of the most exciting pieces of architecture in the county". The Norman nave shows deeply splayed windows leading Pevsner to speculate there had been an earlier church of c1100 expanded in the 12th century. To this 12th century church, in the 13th and Early English Gothic in style, was added today's western tower, only the lower 2 stages remain of the 13th century as in the 15th today's belfry stage was added in a Perpendicular style. Also 13th century one finds the southern arcade complete with circular piers and double-chamfered pointed arches which point to a date of between c1225 & 1250. The eastern end of the church together with the aisles and clerestory are more modern having been completely rebuilt during the Victorian era, the chancel and aisles utilising a style of the 13th century including lancet style windows whilst the clerestory is Perpendicular. The final works were completed as recently as 1905 when a further bay was added to the eastern end of the chancel and that portion increased in height. Access to the church is by Hallgarth Lane which terminates in a shady parking area outside the churchyard's metal gates. Sadly for the photographer the church is rather embedded in forest with thick trees close to both north & south, it is only linearly along the building that any coherent view can be achieved.