England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bolton le Sands Holy Trinity

The Parish

The parish of Bolton le Sands lies in the northern reaches of the main portion of Lancashire south of Morecambe Bay forming a stretch of the county's coastline with that bay and hence the Irish Sea. Bolton le Sands is located roughly 4 miles north of the town of Lancaster and sits on the former course of the A6 road which links Lancaster with Kendal in Westmorland, that road now bypasses to the west. Bolton le Sands is a linear village together with Bolton Town End it stretches along the course of the A6 for well over a mile, in addition the wider parish includes the chapelry of Over Kellet, to the northeast, which was licensed for marriages and will have its own page within this project, and also the townships of Nether Kellet and Slyne with Hest, Hest Bank is contiguous with Bolton Town End and is a substantial village in its own right. Bolton le Sands would have had a diverse economy, the coastal waters of Morecambe Bay would have provided both fish and shellfish, the coastal plain lush grazing for mainly cattle whilst further inland rising ground led to rougher moorland grazing for hardy sheep. Hest Bank is notable for being the southern start point for the famous crossing of the sands to Furness, the route patrolled by experienced guides and at one time passable by horse & carriage and today a popular walking attraction. Modern developments have come to the parish in abundance, first to arrive was the Lancaster Canal in the 1790s followed by the West Coast Main Line railway line from London to Carlisle, in more modern times the M6 motorway has followed the same transportation corridor whilst traversing a more easterly course. As a coastal community numerous small watercourses drain the parish into the nearby Morecambe Bay. Bolton le Sands is sited at between 10 & 40 metres above the sea, land rises inland onto low hills which breach the 150 metre contour in a few places before the Lune Valley intervenes. Like most northern parishes Bolton le Sands covered a large area of just over 8,000 acres of which the township comprised around 1,600, the total population for the parish including Over Kellet chapelry would have been close to 1,800 acres. Whilst Bolton le Sands is recorded in Domesday Book it is described as "waste", a product of King William's "ravishing of the north" as a consequence of rebellion by the northern Lords, no assets are recorded.

The Church

Holy Trinity church, also known in some sources as St Michael, sits on the Main Road of the village close to the midway point between the main village and Bolton Town End. Whilst there was a church mentioned here as early as 1094 nothing of that early church remains, indeed very little of the medieval remains either due to vigorous rebuilding during Victorian times. The only significant fabric remaining from medieval times is found in the northern arcade and in the western tower both of which are assigned to the late 15th century and are Perpendicular in style. Work began in the Georgian period to alter and enhance the church with campaigns of 1813 & 1827. These earlier works were further built upon during the Victorian period with Pevsner also recording campaigns from 1847 & 1864. Much of the work of these 4 campaigns was then undone by an even more vigorous campaign of 1880 which not only removed some of the earlier work but also added the timbered porch and replaced many windows with Perpendicular styled versions. Thus other than the tower most of this church is relatively modern and would be unrecognisable for the participants in these marriages. South of the site Main Road allows on-street parking, the churchyard has quite a few trees which limit the angles available to the photographer making careful choice necessary to adequately record the church.