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

The Parish

The parish of Conisholme lies in the extreme northeast of Lincolnshire about 8 miles northeast of the market town of Louth. Conisholme sits on the winding coastal road, the A1031, which follows the Lincolnshire coast from Cleethorpes to Mablethorpe. There is very little to , a scatter of farms and cottages, many lying along the A1031, in a low-lying, largely man-influenced landscape. Most of the land hereabouts is at or close to sea level and largely created by drainage, the area being protected from the nearby North Sea by a dune coastline. The rich and fertile soils recovered from the sea are used for a mixture of both grazing pasture and arable crops. Conisholme is drained northeastwards by small man-influenced drainage channels which reach the nearby North Sea though Grainthorpe Haven. Conisholme is sited at just 3 metres above the sea in a flat plain where a contour is a rare sight indeed, only many miles to the west does one encounter this phenomenon. Even in a county of many small parishes Conisholme was on the small side, covering just over 1,200 acres it would have supported a population of close to 150 parishioners. Conisholme is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Peter's church sits to the south of the A1031 on the eastern side of the narrow lane, Lowgate Road, which leads solely to a few isolated farms. In the earliest medieval period St Peter was a substantial church, curiously various parts have been gradually removed over the centuries. Trace marking show that it once possessed a western tower and a 4-bay arcade as well as a northern chapel, all have been removed to leave a basic nave & chancel. What remains shows traces of its early origins with Norman Romanesque style of the 12th century displayed as the scalloped arch of a former doorway, whilst it is clear the original layout was completed when Early English Gothic was at the height of fashion in the 13th century. Various work has been carried out in more recent times, in 1764 the nave windows were replaced, in 1853 the western brick bellcote was added and finally in 1876 the church received a more thorough restoration. Lowgate Road is rather narrow but receives very little traffic, a rather muddy verge serves for careful parking. The church is well-screened by trees with wooden gates running through the shady border to the churchyard. A tricky church to photograph such is the density of foliage around requiting ingenuity from the photographer to find adequate aspects.