England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Greatford St Thomas a Becket

The Parish

The parish of Greatford lies in the extreme south of Lincolnshire forming a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Rutland and also being very close to that with Northamptonshire. Greatford is located roughly 5 miles northeast of the historic town of Stamford and stands a little over 2 miles west of the A15 road which connects Peterborough with Lincoln. Greatford is a small "L" shaped village sitting on the southern banks of the River Glen as it emerges from the slightly undulating countryside to the west onto Lincolnshire's Fens. Greatford's position on the edge of the Fens gave it a mixed economy, on the western parts of the parish, which were drier, arable farming would have occurred together with some quarrying of the local stone whilst out to the east were marshes, pastures and the traditional Fen trades of thatch harvesting and wildfowling. Modern developments have skirted to the west of Greatford, the London to Edinburgh East Coast Main Line railway passing through the extreme west of the parish. The River Glen drains the parish northeastwards, soon becoming man-influenced as it functions as one of the main Fen drains, joining the Welland to the north of Spalding it reaches the North Sea through The Wash. Greatford is sited at just 10 metres above the sea but land rises westwards to gently reach 35 metres or so within a mile or two. Greatford parish was more typically sized like a Wolds parish rather than the often bloated parishes of this area, covering just under 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of close to 250 parishioners. In Domesday times Greatford was shared between 3 landholders but Robert de Tosny held the major share, offering just 7 ploughs, some meadow & woodland it did, however, possess two mills.

The Church

St Thomas a Becket's church sits tucked away north of the West Glen River as it meanders through the village. The church shows fragmentary evidence of a near-Conquest origin, herringbone masonry and a blocked round-arched window may be either Saxon or early Norman work. The bulk of the church, however, dates from the early English Gothic period that flourished in the first half of the 13th century. The chancel is perhaps the best example of this style showing lancet windows characteristically to both north and south faces, it is complemented by the southern doorway of the same period. The unusually placed southern tower, occupying a position normally reserved for a transept, shows both the Early English Gothic period, in its lower stages, but also the Decorated style of the later half of the same century. Completed by a broach-spire the tower crosses both styles admirably. Whether the style change represents a lengthy build period or later alteration it is repeated in the remainder of the church too. Definitively later is the opposite northern transept, wholly in the decorated style. There is a passing reference in Pevsner's account to a restoration in 1854 but with no comment on what changed, perhaps it was light & relatively sensitive. The access track to the church leaves the village just west of the Hare & Hounds Inn, it is better to park hereabouts and walk. The churchyard sits just under 100 metres along this track, it is tight and compact with many trees forming its boundary and making a challenge for the photographer to get sufficiently far back to obtain good views.