England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Goltho St George

The Parish

The parish of Goltho lies in central Lincolnshire roughly 11 miles northeast of the city of Lincoln. Goltho sits a south of the A158 road which links Lincoln with Horncastle. Goltho is the site of a deserted medieval, or earlier, village, excavations investigated the site in 1974 to reveal a series of small houses together with larger manor houses all lying amidst lumps and bumps south of the church. Today there is no village whatsoever merely the heavily modified early 19th Goltho Hall. More substantial is the once subsidiary settlement of Bullington sitting on the A158 which has a few cottages and farms lining that road. Like most Lincolnshire parishes Goltho is heavily arable with most land set to growing of cereals, beet or oil-seed in vast prairie-like fields under big skies. Goltho is drained southwestwards by the Sambre Beck which joins the Barlings Eau and soon after that the River Witham, the latter heads in a canalised straight-line through to Boston and the North Sea. Goltho is sited at around 20 metres above the sea in flattish terrain there being nothing above 30 metres for some distance. Goltho parish was one of many of similar size in its county, covering close to 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of around 150 parishioners. Goltho is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St George's church sits to the east of the lane linking Goltho Hall with the A158 alone in fields with the humps and bumps of the deserted village for company. The church was declared redundant in 1976 and is now managed by the Redundant Churches Fund, there is access to the site. As befits this tiny congregation its once parish church is also small, built in brick with nave and chancel augmented by a tall western bellcote. Dating of joints in the roof timbers have declared that feature to be more recent than the start of the 16th century, the estate was bought by the Grantham family in 1530 so it is thought they caused the earlier church to be rebuilt on acquisition. Whilst the nave is of this date, the chancel is an 18th century addition whilst the bellcote comes as part of a typical Victorian restoration. The church merits a brown sign pointing out the track to the site, it is often muddy and safer to park at its beginning. The churchyard is a tiny and bordered by trees but once within there are no obstacles for the photographer.