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

The Parish

The parish of Dunston lies in southern central Lincolnshire about 8 miles southeast of the city of Lincoln. Dunston is a middling sized and compact village, one of a string of settlements marking the edge of the extensive area of fen that line the course of the River Witham. Dunston sits a half mile east of the B1189 which makes its meandering way between Lincoln & Sleaford. Dunston was essentially a farming community, and indeed still is, with a mixture of arable farming on higher ground and extensive grazing and pasturage on the low Fenland. A half-dozen of the settlements in this area consist of parishes that are thin east to west strips, a shape designed to ensure each parish gets a share of the differing land types. Modern developments have come to Dunston with the Sleaford to Lincoln rail line passing through but Dunston has no station today. Several man-influenced streams channel water across the fens to the River Witham which then heads southeast to reach the North Sea through the port of Boston. Dunston village is sited at around 15 metres, the eastern regions of the parish being at or below sea level whilst the western rise to around 60 metres on Dunston Heath. Despite being a narrow strip on the north to south axis Dunston parish was extensive, covering almost 3,400 acres it would have supported around 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Dunston was a holding of one Norman D'Arcy, offering 9 ploughs, the usual meadows & woodland but did possess 6 mills, drainage clearly a priority even then.

The Church

St Peter's church sits at the heart of the village at the junction of Lincoln Road & Vicarage Lane. Sadly the church was almost complete rebuilt in the 1870s, funded by the Marquess of Ripon, much was, however, reused to give some idea of the church that was originally here. The western tower, entrance to the southern porch & doorway and the northern arcade remain and show both Early English Gothic and the Transitional style which preceded it, late 12th and early 13th century. Much else is from that Victorian rebuild and clearly of little interest for Pevsner whose account is short and purely descriptive of the features present. The church is set slightly into Vicarage Lane behind a low, local limestone, wall, parking in Lincoln Road is preferable to trying by the junction, a metal gate leads into an open and uncluttered churchyard which is free from photographic obstructions.