England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Burgh on Bain St Helen

The Parish

The parish of Burgh on Bain lies in the northeastern portion of central Lincolnshire. The village is about 7 miles west of the market town of Louth, adjacent to the A157 road which connects Louth to Wragby and thence to Lincoln. Burgh on Bain, as its name suggests, is located close to where the River Bain crosses the A157. Burgh on Bain is a relatively small settlement with only a handful of cottages and farm mist of which are sited down a dead-end lane to the south of the main road. The village has few modern facilities lacking shops and pubs. The village is sited on sloping ground to the west of the incised valley of the Bain at around 100 metres above sea level. Land rises to the west onto higher Wolds at the High Street ridge (140 metres) and falls to the valley to the east where the crossing of the river is just above 80 metres above se level. The area is a rich arable downland with large fields and big open skies. The parish has always been a small one and supported about 150 parishioners. In Domesday times the land was held by Erneis de Buron and supported 1 plough and 12 acres of meadow.

The Church

St Helen's church stands adjacent to the A157 at the centre of the village. The church has some very early features notably the tower arch which is Norman and the south arcade which is in the Early English style and according to Pevsner clearly inspired by Lincoln Cathedral. The rest of the church dates from the usual mixture of periods as additions and modifications were made. The latest changes being the addition of the north aisle in the 1870s. The church sits behind a mid-height stone wall almost opposite Mill Lane, the main centre of housing and the former village pub now a private house. The southern aspect presented to the road is wide and open with no trees to block the view. The site is also open to the north with trees restricted to eastern and western ends of the graveyard.