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

The Parish

The parish of Foston lies in southwestern Lincolnshire not too far not only from its border with neighbouring Leicestershire but also with Nottinghamshire. Foston is located about 5 miles northwest of the market town of Grantham. Foston is a small and compact village sitting immediately north of the A1 (Great North Road) which connects London with Edinburgh and which passes through the parish as a busy dual-carriageway road. Foston does suffer a little from noise from that road but is otherwise a peaceful little village. At the time of this transcript Foston would have largely earned its living from agricultural activities with a mixed farming economy predominating, today it is rather more arable. Foston is drained southwards by the Foston Beck which soon reaches the River Witham and returns northwards to reach the North Sea through Lincoln and the port of Boston. Foston is sited at just 40 metres above the sea and sits on fairly level ground extending westwards away from the escarpment of the Jurassic limestone which sits a few miles to its east. Foston parish was of a fairly typical size for the area, it covered just under 2,200 acres and would have supported a population of almost 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Foston was held by one Count Alan of Brittany and could offer 14 ploughs and a small meadow.

The Church

St Peter's church occupies extensive grounds within the heart of the village situated almost at the main village crossroads. The church has very early origins which remain visible within the fabric, the chancel arch (often the earliest part of a church) shows Norman Romanesque styling and is clearly of a 13th or even 12th century origin. In addition to this feature the three-bay northern arcade is also dated by Pevsner to the early 13th century. In the Early English Gothic style the western tower is also 13th century. From later periods comes the clerestory which is either 16th or 17th century and as is usual the Victorian era saw restoration and refreshment which saw the rebuilding of the northern aisle and the addition of a southern equivalent. The churchyard covers an extensive area between Long Street and Church Street with a few fronting properties separating it from Newark Hill, many entries and pathways cover the grounds and there are few restrictions on photography.