England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Cowbit St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Cowbit lies in southeastern Lincolnshire not too far from the 3-counties-meet with Northamptonshire and with Cambridgeshire. Cowbit is located about 3 miles south of the town of Spalding and sits on the A1073 road which connects Spalding with both Crowland and Eye. Cowbit has a lengthy run of properties on the eastern side of the A1073 with further properties lying within a triangle of roads to the east, to its west runs part of the Fen Drainage systems, a parallel channel to the River Welland, the "New River", with between the two extensive pastures designed to carry flood waters safely away from populated areas flooding instead low-quality pastureland and acting as a store for the water. To the east of the village and lying only just above sea level are the largely reclaimed lands with rich peaty soils ideal for the growing of relatively high value table vegetables such as onions, leeks & brassicas and soft fruit. A combination of the New River and the Welland drains the parish northwards, the two combining at Spalding with the Welland continuing northwards & then northeast to reach The Wash and the North Sea. Cowbit is sited at just 3 metres above the sea and is protected by raised levees, much of the land is close to the same height for many miles in this billiard table flat landscape that would have once been an enormous wildlife-rich wetland. Like most Fenland parishes holding tracts of reclaimed land Cowbit parish was large (but smaller than many of its neighbours) covering just under 4,600 acres and supporting a population of around 650 parishioners. Cowbit is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book as this area had not been reclaimed at that date.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the junction of the A1073 with Stonegate at the northern end of the village and facing across to Cowbit Wash and the flat landscape stretching to the distance. Prior to the 15th century the early church here was merely a chantry of Spalding Abbey, the church was rebuilt and rededicated in 1487 to recognise its uplift to becoming the parish church for Cowbit.  Documentary evidence suggests a date of c1400 for the earlier church which was then rebuilt and extended westwards to connect with the Perpendicular western tower that probably was constructed to meet the 1487 date. Pevsner does, however, point to the rubble-built short chancel as evidence that not one but two phases of rebuild have occurred with the chancel's masonry suggesting a yet earlier building. Of that early church there are also tiny fragments teasingly undateable and most reused such as the large stones reset into the southern porch's side walls and an early corbel table reused in the roof of the chancel. All very confusing as he rightly admits. Parallel to the A1073 there is a southern extension of Stonegate which is well used by locals for parking outside the prominent white gates granting entry. The western tower sits perilously close to the churchyard wall so is best viewed from the road, a few trees interfere with the favoured southern aspects leaving only a limited set of angles for the photographer.