England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Brocklesby All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Brocklesby lies in northeastern Lincolnshire roughly 9 miles west of the port of Grimsby. Brocklesby sits about 2 miles north of the A18 road which links Louth with Brigg. Brocklesby is an estate village with most of the parish acreage lying within the parkland of Brocklesby Park, a few properties lie along the linking B1211 & B1210 roads which form the northern edges of the estate. Brocklesby Park is a linear park stretching southwards almost as far as neighbouring Great Limber, it is dominated by the early 18th century Hall which, together with the church, sits within formal laid-out grounds within a wider landscaped park. Like most estate villages the local economy was dominated by the needs of the estate which here saw pastoral farming accounting for an estimated 2/3rds of the parish acreage with equal measures of arable and woodland management occupying the remainder. Brocklesby is drained northwards by the Skitter Beck which heads for the outer Humber Estuary arriving to the north of Killingholme Haven. Brocklesby is sited at around 30 metres above the sea with gently rising terrain southwestwards where local high points reach 83 metres to the south of the nearby Humberside Airport. Covering almost 2,500 acres Brocklesby parish was towards the larger end of Lincolnshire's scale, that acreage would have supported a population of around 250 parishioners. In Domesday times Brocklesby was shared by no fewer than 5 landholders but despite that segregated ownership it could muster just 3 ploughs backed by small meadows, indicative of a tiny rural manor.

The Church

All Saints' church sits within the grounds of the park almost a quarter mile away from public roads and only accessed by the formal driveways of the estate. The church is a product of the early 14th century and utilises the Decorated styling fashionable during the first half of that century. The chancel is described by Pevsner as "all Decorated" whilst at the opposite end of the church the western tower is Decorated too but with a lead broach-spire, believed to be the 3rd version, which was rebuilt in 1784. The original medieval version had to be extensively repaired amounting to a rebuild in 1621. Dating of the intervening nave is more complex but it too shows tracery of the Decorated era albeit it may have been constructed in the 13th century. Additions to the core medieval structure of heavily-weathered iron-stone came in the 18th century when twin brick porches were added in a rustic style. Pevsner mentions a re-roofing exercise of c1850 but for once does not mention a formal Victorian restoration so if one occurred it was light & sensitive. The church is usually accessed from the eastern entrance where formal gates grant access to the driveways headed for the church, the walled garden (a local attraction) and the estate office. The church is surrounded at a close distance by many trees which require a careful selection of angles by the photographer to achieve the best images.