England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Harrington St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Harrington lies in the eastern portion of central Lincolnshire roughly 7 miles east of the market town of Horncastle. Harrington sits a little over 2 miles north of the A158 road which connects Horncastle through towards the smaller market town of Spilsby. Harrington is an estate village, dominated by the hall and grounds of Harrington Hall, home to the Copledike family. Only a few scattered farms and cottages dot the wider parish with the hall, partially Elizabethan in origin, and its grounds forming most of the residential area. Like most estate villages the local economy would have been dominated by the needs of the estate but in this area of the county it was typically arable farming that was used for most of the available land and such is the case still today. Harrington is drained southwards the short distance to the River Lymn by one of its small tributaries, the Lymn continues southeast becoming one of the main feeders of the Steeping River and eventually reaching the North Sea at Gibraltar Point. Harrington is sited at around 40 metres above the sea but is backed northwards by the isolated knoll of Harrington Hill topping out at 102 metres, the highest ground for some distance. Covering just under 1,100 acres Harrington parish was fairly typically sized for its Lincolnshire Wolds area, that acreage would have merely supported a population of close to 100 parishioners. Harrington is not mentioned in Domesday Day book.

The Church

St Mary's church sits cheek-by-jowl with Harrington Hall as part of its grounds accessed east of the lane which climbs Harrington Hill. Sadly this church is a Victorian rebuild and not the venue for these marriages as only completed in 1855. Only the tower arch and minor fragments remain from its medieval predecessor. A typical design of nave and chancel with western tower, that tower raised considerably in height during the rebuild, and using the local green-stone throughout.  The tracery used in most windows is that of the Decorated style of the early 14th century and is believed to reflect the style of the lost medieval church. The lane ascending Harrington Hill performs a sharp right-angled bend to the left where a triangular green marks the entrance to the estate, it is best to park here and walk the short distance to the churchyard. Photographers will have to scratch their heads as the church sits beset by trees with all southern aspects removed and making for a challenging subject in a sunny day.