England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Grayingham St Radegunda

The Parish

The parish of Grayingham is located in northwestern Lincolnshire. Grayingham is located about 7 miles northeast of the market town of Gainsborough and 2 miles south of the large village of Kirton in Lindsey. Grayingham sits about a 1/2 mile west of the B1398 road which links Kirton in Lindsey with Lincoln. Grayingham is a compact village built around a T junction of lanes. This area is intensively agricultural with classic Lincolnshire big skies over large arable fields, dominated by cereals as well as oil seed and beet. Grayingham is built largely on a broad and rather featureless plain, land rises gently to the ridge on which the Roman road of Ermine Street runs, about 2 miles east of the village and forming the eastern border of this and many other parishes. What little drainage there is is headed westwards to join the River Eau, and thence the Trent before reaching the North Sea through the Humber estuary. Grayingham is sited at around 30 metres above the sea. The parish is of a typical size for this part of Lincolnshire and covered just over 1,600 acres, it would have supported just of 150 parishioners. In Domesday times Grayingham was split three ways, half held by the King and a quarter each to the Bishop of Lincoln and one Erneis of Buron. The parish then supported a meagre 9 ploughs across all three landholdings.

The Church

St Radegunda's church sits on the southern side of Church Lane, which forms the eastward running branch of the T junction. The church consists of two distinct ages, the western tower, a rather squat affair, is the earliest portion and dates from the cusp of 13th & 14th centuries. The remainder was largely rebuilt in 1797 and the whole was heavily restored in Victorian times. A low brick wall separates church & graveyard from the lane and a gate at the westward end gives access. The site is relatively open with few restrictions to photography.