England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Belton in Axholme All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Belton in Axholme (it requires the suffix to distinguish it from Lincolnshire's other Belton close to Grantham) lies in the extreme northwest of Lincolnshire forming a stretch of the border with neighbouring Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire is also not too far away to the southwest. Belton is located roughly 10 miles southeast of the Yorkshire town of Thorne and a similar distance southwest of the new town of Scunthorpe, it sits on the A161 road which links Goole through to just west of Gainsborough. Whilst the main village is Belton, which consists of a strip of properties following either side of the A161 for over a mile from Grey Green in the north through to Churchtown, holding as it suggests the church. A western extension of properties runs to Westgate for a further mile almost to the banks of the River Torne and in addition a further 5 hamlets, Sandtoft & Beltoft are small villages, each had their own small populations. This area of the county is unusual in sitting west of the River Trent, most of the county sits to its east. A glance at the map for the area will quickly show the extensive works of man in draining what, in historical times, was a vast wetland stretching into neighbouring Yorkshire. The famous Dutch engineer Vermuyden was involved in the construction of the network of drainage channels which have turned wetland into rich agricultural land. Where the medieval economy revolved around the products of marsh-land, reed for thatch and wildfowl for food, today high value vegetables dominate, onions, brassicas, leeks and such produce are grown as well as the staples of grain and root crops. Modern developments have come to the area with the modern M180 motorway carving its way across the north of the parish linking south Humberside into the national network. Historically Belton was drained northeastwards by the River Torne, its course now canalised and leading into the Trent arriving at Althorpe before passing into the Humber estuary and then to the North Sea. Belton is sited at around 10 metres above the sea, the local high point of 28 metres on the A161 to its south being the highest land for a considerable distance. The addition of the extensive reclaimed land has given Belton one of the larger acreages in its county, covering just over 8,300 acres it would have supported a population of close to 1,700 parishioners. In Domesday times Belton was shared between King William, with the smaller share, and Geoffrey de la Guerche; their assets of 10 ploughs, some meadow & woodland were unremarkable but it was Geoffrey's 11 fisheries that made Belton of sufficient size & wealth to place it amongst the largest 20% of settlements recorded in that book, a wealthy place indeed.

The Church

All Saints' church sits, as its name suggests, in the southern part of Belton known as Churchtown, it sits at the junction of Stocks Hill and Church Lane. Whilst traces of earlier versions of the church can be found, reused Early English Gothic arches in the arcades and the odd Decorated styled window, the majority of the church dates from the great church-building era of the Perpendicular and to the late 14th century in particular. Pevsner speculates that it master mason, in what was clearly a sustained single build, was from Yorkshire and may well have worked on the church at Hedon there given the similarities between the two buildings. The church follows the standard layout of nave & chancel with a western tower, here a rather short affair, the chancel being particular extended in length over convention. The rather tall clerestory, designed to impart improved internal lighting, is an interesting feature being much taller than is normal. A northern chapel is an addition along with a southern porch. Like most churches a Victorian restoration took place, here it was in 1851 and targeted the chancel in particular. The main entrance is from Stocks Hill where careful street parking may also be found, the churchyard sits elevated above road level and braced by a modern brick walling where metal gates lead to a short gentle flight of steps into the churchyard. Sadly for the photographer the churchyard abounds with trees which markedly reduce the angles available and require some ingenuity in order to adequately record this stately church.