England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Church Langton St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Church Langton lies in southeastern Leicestershire not too far from its border with neighbouring Northamptonshire. Church Langton is sited around 4 miles north of the market town of Market Harborough and is a small and compact village sitting on the B6047 road which connects Market Harborough on to Melton Mowbray. The area around Church Langton is dominated by pastoral farming, the small hedged fields being classic English hunting countryside, fox hunting was prevalent until relatively recently. Church Langton is drained to the east by a small tributary of the River Welland which is joined after 3 miles or so and forms the border with Northamptonshire, the Welland continues eastwards to reach the North Sea through The Wash via Stamford & Spalding. Church Langton is sited at 120 metres above the sea and sits on something of a ridge of higher ground, local heights rising barely 20 metres more in gently rolling countryside. Church Langton parish was extensive, it included the chapelries of Tur Langton & Thorpe Langton both of which have their own individual pages as they were licensed for marriages, Church Langton covered around 4,000 acres and would have supported almost 900 parishioners. There is no specific mention of Church Langton in Domesday Book. However the subsidiary settlements of West & East Langton were listed with the former shared between Peterborough Abbey & the Archbishop of York and the latter held by on Hugh of Grandmesnil collectively the parish offered an impressive 22 ploughs, meadows and woodland and a mill..

The Church

St Peter's church is tucked away in the northeast of the village along the dead-end lane of Church Lane. The church has its origins in the 13th century, Pevsner points out that the northern aisle shows features consistent with a late 13th century era that covers the transition from Early English Gothic into Decorated styles. Of the latter style and 14th century he places southern aisle and chancel whereas the arcades, clerestory and western tower are Perpendicular and late 14th or early 15th century. A restoration of 1865 made significant changes resulting in today's church. Church Lane leads off the B6047 by a triangular green with parking and it is a short walk to the church along lane and then path. Many angles are impeded by trees although enough remain to adequately photograph the signature tall tower and clerestory.